A Kilkenny planning official carried out house valuations for customers of the Bank of Ireland, the bank confirmed yesterday.
Mr Joe Gannon, now chief city engineer with Kilkenny Corporation, undertook to discontinue such work after a complaint was made to the Kilkenny county manager, Mr Paddy Donnelly, by a member of the public.
In a statement the bank said Mr Gannon had not undertaken valuation work for its clients for at least four years "and possibly longer".
The statement said Mr Gannon's name had been placed on a local panel of valuers which was provided for customers seeking mortgages from the bank.
The client would choose from the panel and pay the valuer concerned.
It added that local management of the bank was "presumably" aware that Mr Gannon was an employee of the local authority. "However, it is unlikely that they would have regarded valuation work as representing a conflict of interest. Such a determination is a matter between Mr Gannon and his employer."
Mr Gannon is on a week's leave from his job and was not available for comment at his home. Contacted last week by The Irish Times, he declined to comment. It is understood, however, that he told Mr Donnelly that the work he did for the bank did not conflict with his official duties.
Mr Donnelly was also unavailable yesterday, but in response to questions from The Irish Times recently he said he was "not aware of any official with Kilkenny Corporation or Kilkenny County Council who is at present engaged in activities which are incompatible with their official duties".
