A report into alleged lockdown breaking within the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs has found that officials partook in a ‘serious breach’ of lockdown rules.
A report ordered by Ireland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, has found that officials within his department partook in a “serious breach” of lockdown rules during a celebration of Ireland’s election to the U.N. Security Council.
Coveney had ordered the document be prepared after an image showing a department gathering during one of Ireland’s strict lockdowns emerged. The image, which was briefly posted to social media, appeared to show a number of senior officials gathered around for a selfie while holding alcoholic beverages.
According to a 17-page document uploaded to the department’s official website, “a serious breach of social distancing guidance” occurred after the outcome of the U.N. vote.
Furthermore, the breach according to the report was facilitated by the then-Secretary General of the department, Niall Burges, who provided the alcohol and had requested 20 department officers congregate for the rule-breaking photograph.
Burges has since agreed to donate €2,000 to a charity helping “people affected by Covid”.
In a statement contained within the report, the current Secretary General, Joe Hackett, has said that he does not “intend to take any further action”.
“The staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs are fully committed to delivering the best possible public service to this country and its people,” Hackett wrote.
“The controversy caused by this incident does not devalue or undermine that service or the remarkable achievement of our election to the Security Council,” the statement continued. “Our staff will continue to focus on advancing Irish interests and values in the EU and globally.”
While the document does criticise the event for having “caused offence, inflicted reputational damage on the Department and undermined internal morale”, the report largely appears to back department officials.
Included within the report are claims that those present at the event were “conducting essential business on behalf of the Department”, and that “extensive measures were taken to facilitate compliance with COVID guidance”.
The report also claimed that no breaches occurred when then-Deputy PM (Tánaiste) Simon Coveney arrived in the U.N. Policy Unit to thank department officials.
It is not the first time Irish officials have been caught brushing up against COVID rules, with government politicians having repeatedly been caught either bending or breaking restrictions during periods of harsh lockdown.
Regarding this most recent incident however, Minister Coveney has since been accused of trying to “bury” the issue with the department investigation by Sinn Féin’s Finance Spokesman Pearse Doherty.
The Donegal TD has also claimed that there was “no accountability” within the department report, and that “an internal investigation was never going to provide it”.
“It is clear that an independent investigation is the only way to get to the bottom of this,” Sky News reports Doherty as saying.
The ongoing scandal facing the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs mirrors a similar controversy facing embattled UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson, who is struggling to maintain his premiership of the country, apologised in parliament on Monday over the “partygate” scandal, shortly after a report update by Sue Gray was published revealing “serious failures” within Downing Street over its own lockdown rules observance.
Many politicians, both in government and in opposition, have demanded that Johnson resign over the issue, with others, including the ex-Prime Minister Theresa May, in particular, pressuring Johnson for answers.
“What the Gray report does show is that No 10 Downing Street was not observing the regulations they had imposed on members of the public,” May said during a parliamentary session on Monday.
“So either my right honourable friend had not read the rules or didn’t understand what they meant and others around him, or they didn’t think the rules applied to Number 10. Which was it?” the ex-PM continued, challenging Johnson.
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