MARTIN SACKS COWEN FROM CABINET
Taoiseach had urged Minister to resign
TAOISEACH Micheál Martin ruthlessly sacked Agriculture Minister Barry Cowen last night – less than three weeks after appointing him to Cabinet.
In a catastrophic start to the Coalition, Mr Martin went into the Dáil chamber shortly after 9pm last night to say he had fired Mr Cowen, as the fallout over the TD’s drink-driving offence rumbled on.
And the Irish Daily Mail can exclusively reveal that Mr Martin urged Mr Cowen to resign during
a heated, hour-long meeting in Government Buildings on Monday night. Mr Cowen refused, saying that there are investigations into the events of 2016 and the breach of his data and that he should be allowed due process.
Fianna Fáil sources said that Mr Martin urged Mr Cowen to resign again yesterday morning. He again refused.
Mr Cowen, unhappy at the leaking of his drink-driving file to a newspaper, issued a statement last night that will throw oil on a fire that is sure to rage in Fianna Fáil for months to come. He said: ‘Unfortunately the decision of the Taoiseach to remove me from office, when he supported me this afternoon in the Dáil, has undermined and potentially prejudiced my entitlement to fair process.’
In a day of heated exchanges in the Dáil, the Government faced down a parliamentary procedure by Sinn Féin to force Mr Cowen into the chamber to answer questions. Shortly after this vote, Mr Martin phoned Mr Cowen as he drove to his home in Offaly. Mr Cowen had pulled over just outside Kinnegad when Mr Martin told him he was sacking him.
There was shock among Mr Cowen’s supporters last night as they believed the Government
would stand behind him until a number of investigations were complete.
The Gardaí are investigating the leak of Mr Cowen’s drinkdriving file, as is the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC), while Mr Cowen has asked Data Commissioner to investigate the breach of his data rights.
Mr Cowen disputes the claims in the Garda file and is seeking to have the Pulse record changed.
Mr Martin entered the Dáil shortly before 9pm last night and stated that the LaoisOffaly TD would no longer serve in Cabinet arising from the continuing controversy over his drink-driving conviction in 2016.
Mr Martin told the Dáil that the latest revelations about the Garda file had raised new issues which had to be dealt with by other members of the Government.
However there was confusion in Fianna Fáil circles last night because Mr Martin had defended Mr Cowen against a series of attacks led by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald.
Ms McDonald criticised Mr Cowen’s position and she asked that he come into the Dáil to answer questions. Mr Martin said: ‘He has made it very clear to me that he wants pursue both issues through the mechanisms that are available to him to pursue.
‘Under the Data Protection Commission, he’s entitled to seek a correction of that particular record, insofar as he believes it doesn’t accurately convey what transpired or implications can be taken from it that may not necessarily be the case.
‘Secondly, he feels that the entire issue has become public because of the illegal procurement of the information, as far as he’s concerned.
‘He feels that his rights have been transgressed in that regard and has been undermined, and he believes that he’s entitled to due process in relation to both issues.’
However, hours later Mr Martin returned to say that he had sacked Mr Cowen.
Mr Martin told the Dáil last night: ‘This is a very sad day for Barry, his family and for me, he has been a very committed public representative, very diligent and very dedicated.’
The Taoiseach told the Dáil that his party member had been the subject of ‘significant criticism and condemnation over his drink-driving ban’.
Mr Martin also said that he accepted his apology and believed it was genuine. The Taoiseach continued: ‘Over the course of the last ten days, he has been the subject of significant criticism and condemnation for a road traffic offence that took place in 2016. He has been completely clear and unambiguous in regard to his drink-driving offence.’
He added: ‘However, he was equally clear that one detail of the allegation he was being presented with was completely untrue.’
Opposition leaders last night said Mr Martin must explain how he moved from a position of defending Mr Cowen in the Dáil at 2pm yesterday to sacking him hours later.
Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty told RTÉ: ‘It is clear from questions this afternoon from Mary Lou McDonald that Barry Cowen had serious questions to answer, it was also clear that he was unwillto ing to come to the Dáil to answer those questions. The question we need answered now is, we had Micheál Martin at 2pm here backing his minister despite know these allegations for over 10 days, despite seeing the Pulse record and what happened in the intervening period when he went from backing his minister at 2pm to sacking his minister before 9pm.’
Labour leader Alan Kelly said: ‘I am glad the Taoiseach has taken a decisive decision but we really to know what has changed since a few hours ago when the Taoiseach was defending Barry Cowen steadfastly inside in the Dáil. So something has changed in relation to the information around this whole saga and the Taoiseach needs to come out now clearly and tell us what that is that informed his decision to take this action.’
Speaking on RTÉ’s Prime Time shortly after the news broke last night, Foreign
‘We need to know what changed’ ‘Surprised and disappointed’
Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said that he didn’t know the reasons behind the Taoiseach’s decision.
‘All I do know is that this was a decision that the Taoiseach felt that he had to make following conversations with Barry Cowen today. Presumably, new information came to light as a result of those conversations and Micheál Martin felt that he needed to take action this evening,’ he said.
Mr Cowen said in his statement last night that he was ‘surprised and disappointed’ by Mr Martin’s decision. He added: ‘Ten days ago and this afternoon the Taoiseach believed my failure of 2016 didn’t warrant my removal from office but he now appears to have changed his mind based on a Pulse report I gave him this morning.’