Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 December 2022
28. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will publish the Mulcahy report into alleged planning irregularities in County Donegal; the amount the unpublished report has cost to prepare; the reason it has not already been published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61074/22]
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 scoping report details unproven allegations against named persons.
The table below sets out the total costs paid to Senior Counsel Rory Mulcahy in respect of his "Review Into Certain Planning Matters in Respect of Donegal County Council' scoping report:
|
Name |
Invoice Description |
Payment Date |
Invoice Amount |
|
RORY MULCAHY S.C. |
A Review Into Certain Planning Matters in respect of Donegal County Council Donegal |
13/07/2017 |
55,350.00 |
