Fianna Fáil has confirmed it hired Ivan Yates during the presidential campaign to provide four hours of “interview and debate training” for its candidate Jim Gavin but said the former Fine Gael minister was not involved in its campaign team.
Six senior Fianna Fáil politicians, including Taoiseach Micheál Martin, were also given media training by Mr Yates.
Mr Martin, Minister for Housing James Browne and Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien were all coached by Mr Yates for the 2024 general election.
Minister for Children Norma Foley was separately coached ahead of the last general election, while Mr Browne and Mr O’Brien were also coached while serving as housing ministers. It is understood this would have been paid for from the secretarial allowance, a publicly funded allowance for ministers that covers public relations expenses. The general election training was paid for by Fianna Fáil.
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“In relation to the general election, he did one session with Micheál Martin during the general election campaign. Mr Yates also provided training to Minsters Darragh O’Brien and James Browne during the same campaign,” Fianna Fáil said in a statement.
Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary was also coached by Mr Yates in 2022, when he was a backbench TD.
[ Ivan Yates controversy shows why media must take conflicts of interest seriouslyOpens in new window ]
Mr Yates also provided media training to Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless, when Mr Lawless was a backbench TD
Mr Yates also provided debate and interview preparation for Fianna Fáil during both the general and European elections. This included training for two other well-known party politicians, MEPs Barry Andrews and Barry Cowen, during the European Election campaign.
In both 2021 and 2022, the then Fianna Fáil parliamentary party was offered a media training programme by Mr Yates in both group and individual sessions.
Controversy has surrounded Mr Yates since it emerged he provided coaching to Mr Gavin before the candidate ended his presidential bid. It has sparked an internal Government row.
After Mr Yates’s work with Mr Gavin emerged, Coimisiún na Meán, the media regulator, said it would be contacting Newstalk and RTÉ to seek more information about the work Mr Yates did for them during the presidential election.
Mr O’Brien said he received three media training sessions from Mr Yates while serving as minister for housing in the last government. A spokeswoman for the Fianna Fáil TD said he “has not availed of media training since he was appointed Minister for Transport and Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment”.
[ Former Fine Gael minister Ivan Yates no stranger to controversyOpens in new window ]
Mr Yates is a former bookmaker and broadcaster who was a co-host of the Path To Power political podcast with Today FM’s Matt Cooper. His role on the podcast came to an end after the news of him coaching Mr Gavin emerged.
In a statement on Monday morning, Fianna Fáil said Mr Yates had not worked with the party beyond September 29th.
It said the commentator was hired for two specific debate programmes, with the focus on “the practicalities of in-studio interviews”.
It said it uses a range of media skill consultants “like all political parties”.
“He did not provide any campaign advice, nor was he involved in the campaign team,” the party said.
Mr Browne, a Fianna Fáil TD, was coached for media interviews by Mr Yates this year, since becoming a Minister in January.
Mr Yates’s work with Mr Browne was not declared to listeners of the Path to Power podcast, including when the Minister for Housing was discussed on the podcast.
An episode on May 2nd focused on the fallout of the controversy over Mr Browne’s plan to appoint National Asset Management Agency chief executive Brendan McDonagh to the role of the Government’s new Housing Activation Office.
Mr Yates described the dispute between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil over the appointment as “almost FUBAR territory” , meaning “f**ked up beyond all recognition”.
Of Mr Browne, Mr Yates said “coming into this situation, it’ll take him at least a year to get it all in his head. And it looks like he’s going to be in the exact same situation as Eoghan Murphy, that he is going to be collateral damage in all this.”
The Path to Power podcast said it “had no knowledge of any professional relationship between the Minister and Ivan Yates”.
Mr Yates has been approached for comment.
A Newstalk spokeswoman said Mr Yates operated as a cover presenter on the station for three days during the presidential campaign.
“Ivan Yates did not inform Newstalk of any conflict of interest relating to the presidential election campaign ... This matter is currently under review.”
RTÉ said Mr Yates was interviewed three times about the election but not during the election period as defined by Coimisiún na Meán.
It has asked him why he did not disclose his involvement with one campaign and said that, had it been informed, it would have advised him it would have to be disclosed to the audience. RTÉ said it is satisfied it did not breach election guidelines.
