Press Statement, for immediate release
2 February 2011
Ireland’s top rights watchdog, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has said that it is “frankly amazed” that, after the Dáil has been dissolved, the outgoing Fianna Fáil Minister for Social Protection, Éamon Ó Cuív TD has signalled his intention to press ahead with expenditure of €24 million Euro of public funds on Public Service / ID Cards.
Speaking in response to a press release issued by the outgoing Minister, ICCL Director Mr Mark Kelly said:
“We can only assume that this is a political stunt by Éamon Ó Cuív TD, although it remains a mystery how spending €24 million of taxpayer’s money on an unproven scheme would bolster anyone’s electoral credibility. The first act of the new coalition Government in the UK was to scrap the costly farce of the UK’s ID card scheme. That Éamon Ó Cuív should suggest that it is acceptable for him to press ahead with such an unproven scheme in Ireland after the Dáil has risen is nothing short of profligate”.
For more information, please contact:
Walter Jayawardene
Communications Manager
Irish Council for Civil Liberties
9-13 Blackhall Place
Dublin 7
Ireland
Tel. + 353 1 799 4504
Mob: +353 87 9981574
E-mail: info@iccl.ie
NOTE TO EDITOR:
Minister Ó Cuív TD’s press release, dated 1 February 2011, is available at: http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Press/PressReleases/2011/Pages/pr020211.aspx