Calls to Kenya weren’t ‘personal’ – Mulherin

Calls to Kenya weren’t ‘personal’ – Mulherin


Fine Gael’s Ballina TD in battle over phone bill

Áine Ryan

Embattled Ballina DΡil Deputy Michelle Mulherin says she has always acted with ‘integrity and propriety’ in her role as a TD and if it ‘is required’ she will refund the Oireachtas for the calls she made to Kenya.   
“I am contacting the Ceann Comhairle in his capacity as Chair of the Oireachtas Commission which runs the Houses of Parliament because of my being identified by media,” she said in a statement for The Mayo News yesterday(Monday).
“Yes I have made some calls to Africa. None were personal. Indeed for the most part they related to a third party, a private citizen, who has been maligned and defamed in a newspaper article because of association with me and potential legal action therefrom.
I am not at liberty to comment further on that,” Ms Mulherin continued.
The Fine Gael Deputy became involved in her latest media storm after The Sunday Times published a front-page story identifying her as the only deputy or senator who was in Leinster House on each of the 19 days when these phone calls to the same Kenyan mobile phone were made. Reportedly the calls costed €2000, with a total cost to the taxpayer of €969.
The large phone bill initially came into the public domain following an RTÉ Freedom of Information request (FoI) to the Oireachtas which revealed the 30 most expensive phone calls made in 2011, 2012 and 2013. However, when reporter Ken Foxe sought details of the recipient, the Information Commissioner ruled that the privacy of the individual should be protected.
Under the media spotlight yesterday, Ms Mulherin said she had written to the Ceann Comhairle for clarification on the matter. She confirmed that the phone calls to Kenya were to Dan Kole, who had previously lived in Ballina and worked on her election campaign.     
 
Refunds
AN Oireachtas spokesman said: “Refunds of telephone costs are regularly sought and received from civil servants in cases of significant use which appears to be unrelated to the work of the service. Reasonable personal use is permitted.”
It is not against Oireachtas rules for TDs or senators to make calls to foreign countries.