The Standards in Public Office inquiry into whether former councillor Tommy Reilly had breached local government rules about a declaration of interest about his son’s ownership of land at Liscarton has been told by Mr Reilly that he believed he did not have to register such interests. He was speaking during the second day of the two-day hearing being conducted by Sipo. His sons Tomás and Kieran both gave evidence at the hearing. Mr Reilly told the inquiry that he first heard of his son Kieran’s involvement in the land at Liscarton in early July 2017 when his son asked him how he would go about making submissions on the development.
He had asked his son “for what?” and he had told him he had bought land at Liscarton. Mr Reilly senior said he had been shouting about the “cow plot” at Liscarton for years because he wanted it to be put to community use. There had been so many small businesses in Navan operating from the backs of houses and that had become unsafe. He said he replied to his son that he could have nothing to do with the land. He had taken no action at that stage but when the date of the meeting came he spoke to an official who told him he did not have to leave the council meeting on 19th July 2017 because he had no financial or other interest in that land at Liscarton.
Former FF Councillor Tommy Reilly who gave evidence at the Sipo inquiry today.
He then said he had stood up and told the meeting he had a conflict of interest. He had 30 years of experience in politics and at no stage had he been asked why he had a conflict of interest.
At the particular meeting the proposal to vary the development plan which would lead to a change of status of the Liscarton land was proposed and seconded by Cllr Sarah Reilly. He said that Cllr Reilly was not related to him. In reply to his barrister Mr O Tuaithail Mr Reilly said he had been one of 40 councillors on Meath County Council and he had never mentioned anything about
land to the other 39 councillors. He had never mentioned the Liscarton land to them.
At the particular meeting on 19th July no council official had asked him the reason for the declaration of conflict or why he was withdrawing from the meeting. In March 2018 his son Kieran had asked him to accompany him to a “consultation meeting”. He had gone to the meeting and Mr Eamon Collins engineer was present. That meeting was a “consultation meeting” and not a pre-planning meeting. “That’s all I had done. I never opened my mouth at that meeting”, Mr Reilly said.
He had not updated his interests in the ethics register because he believed he did not have to do so as he had no interest in the land in question. He said he had accompanied many young couples at explanatory meetings. Following questioning by his own barrister, Mr Reilly then replied to questions put to him by barrister Mark Curran acting for Sipo. He was asked how many children he had and he replied three. Asked how often he saw them he said he said he saw Tomas “too much because he lives with me” and he could see Kieran perhaps three times in one day and then might not see him for a few months.
He gave a brief outline of Kieran’s working life and added that he had some business interests and had never been involved with him in those businesses. He was aware that Kieran had a
business which he sold on after he received a beating which traumatised him. Asked about his understanding of the declaration of interests he replied that “you have to declare everything” and that had to be signed before a peace commissioner or a commissioner of oaths. He was asked if he knew what a “connected person” was and he replied “no”. The barrister read out
those who might be a “connected person” and they included a brother, sister, parent, spouse, civil partner or child. Mr Reilly said he did not know that a son could be a connected person.
When I said I had a conflict of interest because my son was involved in property, I knew that much. Was that not enough of an answer?”, Mr Reilly said. He had no beneficial interest in any of the lands in question, he said.
The hearing also heard from Mr Reilly’s sons Tomas and Kieran and also from barrister Eoin O’Shea who carried out a preliminary inquiry for the commission. The two-day hearing has now ended and the commission will issue its findings at a later date.
