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Lessons need to be learned from the controversy surrounding the appointment of former minister Katherine Zappone as a UN special envoy for the Government, the Taoiseach has said.
Micheál Martin said that transparency was vital going forward and described as “important” a move by the Department of Foreign Affairs to release a file of documents later on Monday relating to the proposed appointment.
The records concern the circumstances around the choice of Ms Zappone as an international envoy on LGBTI+ issues and freedom of expression.
The decision to appoint Ms Zappone was taken by Cabinet on July 27th. The Taoiseach complained on the day that no notice was given to him or Green Party leader Eamon Ryan. It has subsequently emerged Tánaiste Leo Varadkar was aware of the imminent appointment on July 19th, eight days before the Cabinet meeting.
“The documentation will be put out there this afternoon, it’s my understanding, by the Department of Foreign Affairs. I think that’s important,” Mr Martin said during a visit to Cobh, Co Cork, on Monday.
“I think it’s important that we have transparency in relation to this issue and I also think it’s important that we in government learn lessons from this also.”
The Taoiseach said there needs to be a “full review of the role of envoys into the future”.
He said: “The added value they may or may not bring to certain situations – I think the Department of Foreign Affairs should conduct a full review in relation to that and that if there are to be any other further appointments into the future that they would be done by open public competition.
“These are lessons we have to learn from this particular episode.
“I think the transparency will flow hopefully from what’s published today.”
When asked if the release of documents would put the controversy to bed the Taoiseach said he “couldn’t speak on behalf of the Opposition and the Opposition may take a view one way or the other.
“But I can give my view on it in terms of a Government perspective and we are going to learn lessons from this and we are going to make certain changes in relation to how we do this into the future. But I do believe that we need a sense of perspective in relation to this.”
The release of 100 records, containing 150 documents, which were prompted by 20 Freedom of Information (FoI) requests, include text and electronic messages as well as email and paper correspondence between officials, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney and Ms Zappone.
The records date from just before February 24th, when Mr Coveney first broached the role with his department’s secretary general, Niall Burgess, to early August.