Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 October 2022
190. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will publish the Mulcahy Report into alleged planning corruption in Donegal; and the actions that he plans to take arising from this report. [54068/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am considering the report, entitled 'A Review Into Certain Planning Matters in Respect of Donegal County Council', by Mr. Rory Mulcahy S.C., and will bring this matter to Government for consideration in due course.
The Attorney General's office has been consulted on both the content of the report and also on the issue of its potential publication and dissemination. The review is a scoping report and as such it does not make findings as to the truth or otherwise of allegations that have been made by an individual against named persons.
Regarding the question of the publication of the Mulcahy Report, the decisions of the Commissioner for Environmental Information (CEI/18/0019) of 13 February 2019 and the Information Commissioner (OIC-59426-Q8D7T8) of 27 February 2020 in relation to requests to publish this report will also be taken into account. Both decisions are publicly available on those bodies' websites.
It should be noted that in each of these cases, both the Commissioner for Environmental Information and the Information Commissioner decided not to grant access to the report. The Office of the Information Commissioner decision stated "placing the details concerned in the public domain would significantly breach the rights to privacy of identifiable individuals." Therefore, this is a matter that requires careful consideration given that the report details unproven allegations against named persons.
