The Standards in Public Office Commission will consider the use of public resources by the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, to compile briefing documents for Fianna Fáil election candidates once it is in full possession of the facts, its spokesman has confirmed.
This followed the disclosure yesterday that Mr Dempsey had ordered Department of Education officials to compile a customised information pack for Fianna Fáil local election candidates in the North Leinster area.
This is understood to have provided detailed information on monies spent on schools in the area, for use by its election candidates. Mr Dempsey is Fianna Fáil director of local elections for the area.
Under the Government's own Code of Conduct for Office Holders, officials are required to "ensure that their use of officially provided facilities are designed to give the public value for money and to avoid any abuse of the privileges which are, undoubtedly, attached to office."
Ms Olwyn Enright TD, Fine Gael spokeswoman on education, last night branded the incident a Fianna Fáil "electioneering stunt".
"Minister Dempsey claims the same information is available to anyone who wants it, yet it was only provided to FF candidates," she said.
"I have seen the documents myself and most of the information contained in them is not available on the Department's website. The documents were clearly marked 'Confidential' and clearly marked for 'Fianna Fáil local election candidates'.
It was, she continued, "an awfully big coincidence" that Mr Dempsey had made the information available in those areas in which he is Fianna Fáil's director of elections.
"I want to know how many Department of Education staff were involved in compiling these statistics and at what cost,"she said.
"Surely the Minister would agree that if he has extra or spare staffing resources, their time would be better spent clearing the backlog of special needs or resource applications than preparing briefing materials for election candidates."
However, Mr Dempsey last night defended his use of Department officials to compile the briefing pack.
In a press statement, he said the Department frequently provided briefing notes to opposition party members, as well as an information service to the general public, the media and public representatives from all parties.
However, the information pack was, he said, customised for Fianna Fáil election candidates, and was paid for out of public monies.
Similar packs were available for election candidates from other parties, he said.
"The material provided in the briefing pack relates solely to the work of the Department of Education and Science and is no different to the material produced in replies to parliamentary questions from all members of the Oireachtas," he said.