Coveney To Appear Before Oireachtas Cttee. Today To Answer More Questions On Zappone Appointment.

Tuesday, 7 September 2021 07:05

2 Kildare TDs sit on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.

Minister, Simon Coveney, is to appear before an Oireachtas Committee to answer more questions on the Katherine Zappone appointment.

The Dept. of Foreign Affairs yesterday released more documentation on her now defunct appointment as a UN Special Envoy.

Kildare TDs, Fianna Fáil's James Lawless and Independent Cathal Berry, are members of the committee.

The Foreign Affairs Committee chaired by @CharlieFlanagan TD will meet Minister @simoncoveney tomorrow at 10am to receive clarification on issues arising from the Minister's appearance before the Committee last week #seeforyourself https://t.co/MyUz0YZqyR pic.twitter.com/wEqxuI0UP2
— Houses of the Oireachtas - Tithe an Oireachtais (@OireachtasNews) September 6, 2021

Gary Gannon, Social Democrats TD and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, says the minister needs to provide a clear timeline of events.

Sinn Fein TD John Brady says the Minister has numerous questions to answer, when he reappears before an Oireachtas committee this morning

Kildare North Fianna Fáil TD, James Lawless, joined Clem Ryan on Tuesday's edition of Kildare Today just before the committee convened.

Kildare North TD, and Social Democrats Co-Founder, Catherine Murphy, has been speaking to Kildare Today.

She says she had hoped Ireland was beyond this kind of politics

The hearing began at 10am on Tuesday morning.

The Foreign Affairs Minister told the committee he should have been clearer with Katherine Zappone that he was not offering her a job when they spoke in March.

Documents released by the Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday show Ms Zappone thanked the Minister for the "incredible opportunity" in a text message on March 4th.

The message came four months before she was formally nominated to the role by the Minister, after the Cabinet was told about it in late July.

Minister Coveney says it was not a job offer at the time

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