Junior Minister Niall Collins has told the Dáil that he did not break any law in relation to the sale of land in Limerick in 2007.
But he added that in hindsight, it would have been better if he had not attended a council meeting in January 2007 when the decision was made to put the land up for sale.
In a short statement, Mr Collins said that he was in absolutely no doubt that his actions in relation to the matter were legally correct.
The Limerick County TD said that when the Bruff local area committee met in January 2007, neither he nor his wife had any pecuniary interest in the land.
His wife, Dr Eimear O'Connor, had expressed an interest in buying the land prior to that through her solicitor.
He said that the local area committee did not have disposal rights on the sale of the property and that was a reserved and statutory function of the full council.
Mr Collins said that when the full council decided to sell the land in September 2008, he was no longer a councillor as he had been elected to the Dáil in May 2007.
The minister did not take any questions.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Earlier today, Tánaiste Micheál Martin defended Mr Collins and attacked The Ditch website which first reported details of the land sale.
People Before Profit attacked the Government's decision not to allow questioning of Mr Collins in the Dáil today.
TD Paul Murphy of People Before Profit said Mr Martin had sacked former minister Barry Cowen for failing to appear before the Dáil over a drink-driving issue.
He added the deal involving Mr Collins' wife smelled like the "same old stroke politics from Fianna Fáil".
In response, Mr Martin said the Bruff Area Committee meeting had "no statutory authority" to dispose of the land.
He added that it would have been better if Mr Collins left the meeting in question.
Mr Martin attacked The Ditch website which first reported details of the land sale.
"The selective and distorted way stories are presented leaves an awful lot to be desired."
He said the website "was not an independent media platform".
He added "this is a political organisation" which aimed to get stories trending and then other media organisations were "attacked" if they did not cover them.
"It is very clear their agenda is to take down the Government," he said.
He also said it was being partly funded by Paddy Cosgrave and Chay Bowes.
The Russian Embassy in Ireland "praised" Chay Bowes for blaming the west for the war in Ukraine, the Tánaiste said.
Mr Martin added that Mr Bowes had been described as a correspondent for Russia Today on television in India.
In response Mr Murphy said that without The Ditch Robert Troy and Damien English would still be ministers.
He said The Ditch exposed "unethical practices" in the Government.
Background to Collins property sale scrutinised by Dáil opponents
Those outside of the Government wanted Mr Collins to answer questions today.
The Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Green Party leader said it would have been better if he had absented himself at this January 2007 meeting.
However, all insisted he did not break the law because only a full council meeting can agree to dispose of public land.
On Tuesday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dáil he is confident Mr Collins has not breached the Local Government Act.
But the Opposition say the matter could not be more serious and have called on Mr Collins to answer questions on the matter in the Dáil.
Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns has asked why Junior Minister Niall Collins will not take opposition questions after his Dáil statement on the sale of a property. Tánaiste Micheál Martin said it is important the full story is told | Read more: https://t.co/jZge7My7C8 pic.twitter.com/j4MnmK2tBy
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) April 27, 2023
Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns said Mr Collins has failed to deal with the critical issues ahead of his Dáil statement.
She asked the Tánaiste if the standards of accountability are slipping in Government because Barry Cowen was sacked as minister for agriculture for failing to answer Dáil questions in 2020.
And she asked: "If the matter is so straightforward why not let the opposition ask Niall Collins questions today?"
The Opposition being muzzled does not scream accountability, she said.
Responding, Mr Martin said Mr Collins has already clarified the matter.
He said political campaigns are being orchestrated to undermine people's character and the Dáil cannot be a slave to that.
"I don't see The Ditch as an Independent media platform," he said.
Mr Martin said he is is clear this is a campaign and many issues around this need interrogation.
Earlier this week Mr Murphy said the allegations require a full question and answers session in the Dáil.
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime earlier this week, Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin also said Mr Collins needs to answer questions on why he did not declare a potential interest in the decision by Limerick Council to place the property for sale.
Additional reporting: Mícheál Lehane
