Complaint to Dáil about Michael Healy-Rae’s links to the Skellig Star
A COMPLAINT has been lodged with the clerk of the Dáil regarding TD Michael Healy-Rae’s links to the Skellig Star Hotel in Cahersiveen, which is now operating as a Direct Provision Centre.
The Kerry TD was a shareholder in the company Skellig Hotel Experience Ltd, which was sold to a company owned by business man Paul Collins last December. Skellig Hotel Experience Ltd held the lease to the Skellig Star Hotel.
This hotel is now operating as a direct provision centre and has been at the centre of controversy since an outbreak of COVID-19 there in March.
Deputy Healy-Rae’s involvement in the company has also led to controversy, and a complaint has now been lodged by former General Election Candidate in Dublin Bay South, Norma Burke, regarding his links to the hotel. She alleges that he breached Ethics legislation.
Deputy Healy-Rae has said that the hotel lease was part of the company prior to his involvement, and he became involved to develop tourism projects. He told The Kerryman last week that he had no idea that it was going to end up as a Direct Provision centre.
Ms Burke has made the complaint on five grounds, two of which relate to the Skellig Hotel Experience Ltd; that he made a false declaration in the 2018 Register of Interests that he was a Director of the company; and that he failed to declare his shareholding in the company if it exceeded the €13,000 threshold. He stated last year that he registered his directorship ahead of time. However, he was not listed a director. Ms Burke, whose family has links to Kerry and to Headford, has also lodged three allegations the Kilgarvan TD had not declared grocery store company Black Cap Ltd in his Register of Interests for three years
Every TD must fill out a Register of Interests annually.
Deputy Healy-Rae has added Black Cap Ltd in a supplement to the Register of Interests for 2019.
Ms Burke said she was prompted to lodge a complaint with the Clerk of the Dáil.
“This relates to my specific area of interest,” she told The Kerryman.
Under the procedures outlined in the Ethics in Public Office Act, 1996 the Clerk of the Dáil will decide whether or not to put forward the complaint to the investigation committee known as Committee on Members Interest in Dáil Eireann.
Currently as a Government has not been formed, the complaint cannot be investigated as a new committee is not in place. This will be put in place after a Government is formed.