FORMER FIANNA Fáil Senator Ivor Callely was told last June he was no longer part of a delegation that would monitor the midterm Congress elections in the US, the Government Chief Whip said last night.
The Government removed Mr Callely from the Irish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), precluding him from taking part in any of the organisation’s engagements overseas.
Chief Whip John Curran informed Mr Callely in June that he was no longer a member of the delegation.
A spokesman for Mr Curran said last night that Mr Callely was aware from then that he could no longer travel overseas to the organisation’s engagements,including the monitoring of the US congressional elections and elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina later in the year.
The Government moved to clarify the situation last night after it emerged yesterday that Mr Callely had written to the Oireachtas last month to say he had been invited to act as an observer in the elections in both countries.
A letter from Mr Callely, obtained by RTÉ under the Freedom of Information Act, said the trip to the US came about because of Mr Callely’s previous involvement with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
Mr Callely also stated he had been invited to Bosnia-Herzegovina for its October elections.
There was some confusion yesterday as to Mr Callely’s status as a member of the Irish delegation to the organisation.
The Oireachtas said the Mr Callely was the current holder of the position of head of the delegation from the Houses of the Oireachtas.
In a statement, it said that no nomination had been made to date to attend the US midterm elections but confirmation of delegates attending the elections as observers would have to be received by late September.
A spokesman said that nomination of the Irish delegation to the the organisation was in the gift of the Government Chief Whip.
However, the whip’s office later said that Mr Callely had been removed from the delegation since June, at the time the controversy over his travel expenses arose.
“It is our intention to replace Senator Callely in the coming weeks, and in advance of the new Dáil and Seanad session. Discussions on this matter are ongoing,” the spokesman said.
The Government did say it allowed Mr Callely to attend a specific meeting of the OSCE in June, because he had been the principal author of a report that was being launched.
“This was a stand-alone engagement. This engagement predates the findings and subsequent suspension of the Seanad Members Interests Committee as set out in their report of July 14th,” the spokesman said.
Mr Callely resigned from Fianna Fáil earlier this month after a party disciplinary committee found him guilty of “conduct unbecoming” following an investigation into his mobile phone expenses claims.
Since then, two Government Senators have called on Mr Callely to resign from the Upper House because of the damage that the continuing controversy over his expenses was doing to its reputation.
Green Party chairman Senator Dan Boyle said the drip-feed of allegations and the need for the Seanad committee to keep meeting to deal with the issue should prompt Mr Callely to consider his position.
“The longer he serves in the Seanad, the more discredit he brings on it,” said Mr Boyle.
Fianna Fáil Senator Lisa McDonald said that by resigning, Mr Callely had denied Fianna Fáil the opportunity to “kick him out” of the party.
Minister of State Seán Haughey also said he should to consider his position and resign from the Seanad.
Mr Haughey is a Minister of State for Education and Skills.
