Fine Gael has said it will not be commenting further on the Senator Martin Conway controversy, despite a series of questions being put to the party by Sinn Féin TD Louise O'Reilly.
In a statement to RTÉ News today, a Fine Gael spokesperson said "... it would be inappropriate to make any further comment on these matters" given that "... there is a disciplinary process under way".
Fine Gael initiated a disciplinary process into the Clare-based senator after he confirmed that he had been arrested by gardaí last month but failed to inform party headquarters.
In a statement, the senator said he was arrested on 22 January on O'Connell Street in Dublin "for being in an intoxicated state due to the consumption of sleeping tablets and alcohol" but was released from custody a few hours later.
However, Deputy O'Reilly's focus of attention was on a separate Fine Gael inquiry into Senator Conway, arising from an incident which happened in 2018 and investigated in 2020.
Mr Conway had been accused of acting in an inappropriate manner with a female Oireachtas staff member, working for a Fine Gael politician, in a Dublin bar.
Today, a Fine Gael spokesperson said that "... the matter was put to the person concerned [i.e. Senator Conway] who subsequently apologised, that apology was accepted by the person in question [i.e. the female Oireachtas staff member] and agreed that no further action was required by the party".
The Fine Gael spokesperson added: "The other party has asked that their privacy be fully and absolutely respected, and no contact be made with them by media outlets. The other party does not wish to see any material published which risks identifying them."
The spokesperson said that since the issue came into the public domain this year "... The other party has informed us that they do not wish to issue any further statement or comment further on the matter and we are very conscious of their desire for their privacy to be fully and absolutely respected".
The spokesperson concluded: "The other party has confirmed the matters have been resolved to their satisfaction and that they do not require any further action to be taken by their former employer [i.e. The Houses of the Oireachtas] or by Fine Gael in relation to these matters."
Ms O'Reilly had asked a series of questions regarding Minister of State Jerry Buttimer who had previously been a Fine Gael Senator in 2020.
In a letter to Fine Gael, and raised in the Dáil, Deputy O'Reilly said she wanted to find out if Mr Buttimer asked Mr Conway to nominate him for the position of Leas-Cathaoirleach of the Seanad at that time.
"Did you do so knowing that Senator Conway had been investigated by your party, and found to have engaged in inappropriate behaviour towards a female member of staff?" she inquired.
The Sinn Féin TD also wanted to know if Mr Buttimer advised Mr Conway in relation to the complaint or if he, or Fine Gael, obtained the services of a solicitor to act on Mr Conway's behalf.
She asked, too, if Mr Buttimer informed the Houses of the Oireachtas or the gardaí in relation to the allegation.
It is understood that Mr Buttimer and Fine Gael are both adamant that they played no role in securing the services of a solicitor for Mr Conway.
The Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris told RTÉ Radio's This Week programme earlier this year that the party's disciplinary process, which got under way earlier this year, would examine matters facing Mr Conway both in 2020 and in 2025.
