Ministers accused of ‘politicising’ role of Attorney General

Timmy Dooley

Around 50 people, including Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and other high-profile politicians, attended an outdoor event hosted by former minister Dr Katherine Zappone at the hotel in July.

A government statement circulated this week sought to deflect criticism over whether the event was held within Covid guidelines by highlighting the Attorney General’s advice on outdoor gatherings.

Senator Timmy Dooley told The Irish Times that the statement “politicised the AG in a power-sharing government” and had served to “give cover to the Tánaiste when in truth all he needed to do was apologise”.

Tourism trade body Fáilte Ireland said it was surprised by the clarification of the law and had updated its guidance for hospitality operators in light of the news that outdoor events for up to 200 people were now lawful.

Dublin solicitor Simon McGarr observed on Twitter: “As predicted, the defence of Ministers based on what the law and not the guidelines say has made it now impossible to hold to guidelines that go beyond the law.

“The Govt has sacrificed one of the major tools they used throughout the pandemic to shape public behaviour.”