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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
Louise Burne

Paschal Donohoe to make statement in the Dáil tomorrow after election expenses debacle

Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe will make a statement in the Dáil on Wednesday afternoon, the Irish Mirror has learned.

It comes following requests from the opposition for the Fine Gael to take questions on reports that he did not declare election expenses.

The Ceann Comhairle emailed TDs this evening and said that Mr Donohoe will address the Dáil at 5pm on Wednesday afternoon.

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The opposition parties will then have five minutes to make statements on this issue.

The Minister confirmed earlier this week that a complaint had been filed with the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) over allegations that he did not fully declare expenses incurred during the 2016 general election.

The Fine Gael TD confirmed that businessman Michael Stone personally paid six individuals to erect and take down posters before and after the election.

The cost of this labour amounted to €917, while the use of a commercial van was costed at €140.

Speaking in Leinster House on Tuesday morning, party leader Ivana Bacik said that Minister Donohoe and former junior minister Damien English should both make statements in the Dáil in the coming days.

Mr English resigned over a revelation that he did not declare that he owned a property when he applied for planning permission for a one-off home with Meath County Council.

Ms Bacik said: “We need to see Minister Donohoe and former minister English give full statements in the Dáil.

“We still have a scarcity of full information about the issues that have been raised in recent days.”

Labour TD Ged Nash also said that while Minister Donohoe needs to make a “full statement to the Dáil”, he also needs to participate in a questions and answers session to “clear up and clarify” what he described as “outstanding matters”.

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