The Minister for Sport has hit back at a Kerry MEP's comments on being denied a chance to contest the Presidential Election.
Sean Kelly says that he was “shafted”, by not being given a chance to go before the Fine Gael party to try and get his name on the ballot.
Minister Patrick O’Donovan says there was no compulsion on party leader Simon Harris to run a second nomination process, following Mairead McGuinness’s withdrawal.
He believes it wasn’t that they didn’t back Sean Kelly, but the majority of the party felt Heather Humphreys was a good candidate.
Meanwhile, Minister Patrick O’Donovan believes local authorities should be brought before Oireachtas committees to explain their spending.
The Communications Minister was reacting to claims from billionaire Limerick entrepreneur, John Collision.
He says that Ireland is going backwards, it can’t keep up with demand to live, work and invest in the country; and that it’s being stifled by red tape.
Minister O’Donovan agrees that local authorities and other bodies that are delaying projects need to be more transparent.
