Speaking following the second appearance of Minister Simon Coveney before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs in relation to the proposed appointment of former Minister Katherine Zappone to the role of Special Envoy on Freedom of Expression, Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence John Brady TD has said that the Taoiseach must set out whether he accepts Minister Coveney’s account.

Teachta Brady said:

“For the second time in a week, Minister Simon Coveney came before an Oireachtas Committee with an elaborate cock and bull story that nobody believes and which is flatly contradicted by the facts.

“We now know that Katherine Zappone approached numerous Fine Gael Ministers looking to get a job at a UN level.

“They facilitated her by creating a job for her and went so far as to allow her to write the job description.

“They got caught out and tried to cover it up by deleting information, breaking countless government protocols.

“They see nothing wrong with what they did – no more than they see anything wrong with Ministers moving from government to lobby for high finance, or suggesting that someone would be a good candidate for a Supreme Court position.

“The question now is what is the Taoiseach going to do about it? Does he accept Minister Coveney’s version of events? And what action is the Taoiseach going to take to root out cronyism at the heart of his government and restore some credibility?”