McGrath supports Ross’s revelations
FORMER minister Finian McGrath has issued a strong defence of his former ministerial colleague Shane Ross, whose revelations in his new book have sparked concerns that he may have broken the law on cabinet confidentiality.
Mr McGrath said: ‘What people don’t realise is that Shane had to put up with a huge amount of leaking. I suspect Shane is simply balancing the books a little.’
He added: ‘This book is a great act of public service. There are too many closed doors in Irish politics.
Shane is letting in the light... As a book it is an absolutely fantastic apprenticeship course for aspirant Machiavellis. It is important to note we were radicals in the most conservative cabinet in the history of the State. It was a constant battle to protect vulnerable groups and people.’
Even Fine Gael sources say of Mr Ross: ‘He was brave to be in that cabinet room after what he said about Enda being a corpse. Enda carries grudges for decades.’ Others were less sympathetic, with Fianna Fáil’s Jim O’Callaghan warning: ‘The reason we have cabinet confidentiality is to ensure that ministers can freely discuss issues before reaching a decision for which they are all then collectively responsible.’
He said: ‘If there is no cabinet confidentiality, then the unity and integrity of the government is undermined... Discussions of cabinet constitute confidential official information as defined by the Official Secrets Act of 1963 [and] it is an offence to disclose such information’. The legal definition of ‘official information’ is broad. It includes, ‘any secret official code word or password, and any sketch, plan, model, article, note, document or information which is secret or confidential or is expressed to be either and which is or has been in the possession, custody or control of a holder of a public office, or to which he has or had access, by virtue of his office’.