€7,700 Rolex watch given to ceann comhairle in 2018 is still in storage

Seán Ó Fearghaíl received the gift from the president of UAE's parliament but handed it over to the Department of the Taoiseach with a request it be auctioned for the Trócaire charity

Then ceann comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl complied with SIPO rules in 2018 by handing the watch over and requesting it be sold for charity.  File picture: Moya Nolan

A €7,700 Rolex watch gifted to the then ceann comhairle in 2018 is still sitting in storage in the Department of the Taoiseach.

Then ceann comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked that the designer watch should be sold and the proceeds donated to charity after he received the item on a visit to the United Arab Emirates in late 2018.

However, it has been confirmed that the timepiece remains stored securely in the Department of the Taoiseach, in accordance with the provisions of the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995.

Public Accounts Committee chair John Brady has said it is “utterly bizarre” that the Rolex Milgauss, which has previously been valued at €7,700 by the Office of Public Works, remains in storage “gathering dust indefinitely”.

Mr Brady said: “While the department states that this arrangement is in accordance with existing procedures, common sense must also prevail.

“A practical solution should be found to allow the watch to be sold, with the proceeds directed towards initiatives that would deliver a real public benefit.

“There must also be full transparency around this issue, including details of whether other gifts of significant value are currently being held in State storage facilities,” the Sinn Féin TD said.

Standards in Public Office rules generally allow politicians to accept gifts received from a visiting foreign delegation, or any small token given, for example, as a thank you for making a speech.

However, any gift valued at more than €650 cannot be accepted, unless given by a friend or relative.

The strict rules dictate that items valued over this threshold are deemed to be a gift to the State.

“The office holder must inform the Secretary General to the Government of the gift as soon as possible, and retain custody of the property until instructions of the Secretary General regarding its disposal are received.”

However, the rules do contain a clause that allows for items to be sold, in such an event, the proceeds “may be paid to the Exchequer or be donated to charity”.

Request to give proceeds to Trócaire

It had previously been reported that Mr Ó Fearghaíl, who received the watch from the president of the federal national council of the UAE, Amal Al Qubaisi, had asked that the watch be sold and the proceeds donated to the Trócaire charity.

In a letter addressed to Martin Fraser, the then government secretary general, he wrote: “As Ceann Comhairle, I have worked closely with Trócaire over the past three years in fundraising for crucially important water treatment facilities in Tigray in Ethiopia.

“You might consider this cause as a possibility, which is one close to my heart, but I leave the final decision with you, as is appropriate in the circumstances,” he wrote in the letter sent in April 2019.

• Elaine Loughlin, Political Editor
• Tadgh McNally, Political Reporter