Irish Examiner View: Coalition likely to find way through Paschal Donohoe controversy

The reaction from Fine Gael’s coalition partners, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party, seem to suggest that the Coalition will survive this latest controversy.

Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe's well-earned reputation as an able dealer has taken a knock. Picture: RollingNews.ie

The Government has had a tricky few weeks when it comes to ethics and standards. 

First came Robert Troy’s exit as a junior minister, and last week he was followed out the Cabinet door, or perhaps half-door, by another junior minister, Damien English.

Now Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe is in hot water following an embarrassing complaint which alleges a failure on his part to properly account for various expenses relating to the general election of 2016.

The fact that the expenses involved appear to add up to just over €1,000 offers a sharp contrast to the large sums involved in the Troy and English controversies, but the fact remains that if the complaint is upheld, then the breach is the fault of the minister with specific responsibility for the Government adhering to the highest standards of probity of spending.

In addition, Mr Donohoe had indicated last week that, following the resignation of Mr English as a minister, he wanted to revisit the ethics in public office legislation, but this week he had to recuse himself from considering that legislation because of the complaint lodged against him. Events can move quickly in seven days.

When it comes to ethics and standards in public life, perception counts for a great deal, and this complaint took another twist when it was alleged that the person who supplied the services to Mr Donohoe was subsequently appointed to the board of the Land Development Agency by then-housing minister Eoghan Murphy.

There were no great howls of anger about Mr Donohoe’s situation from Fine Gael’s coalition partners, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party, which suggests the Government is likely to find a way through this particular storm. 

Mr Donohoe’s well-earned reputation as an able dealer has taken a knock, however, which may come against him when it comes to realising his own party ambitions at a later point.

The situation also reheats an old question, one Irish Examiner Political Correspondent Paul Hosford asked yesterday: Why do politicians wait until these matters are made public before addressing them?