Catherine Connolly must answer all questions about her role in working for banks in home repossessions before this week’s Presidential election, a Fine Gael Minister has said.
Minister Helen McEntee has today called on Deputy Connolly to account for her role in aiding banks in repossession actions.
“Catherine Connolly is dodging questions about working for banks to repossess homes from people going through extremely tough times, while then simultaneously dealing in empty rhetoric about the subject in the Dáil,” Minister McEntee said.
“She built a political career denouncing what she delivered in her legal career.
“Catherine Connolly had no problem taking work from banks. And then goes into the Dáil to castigate the banks’ criminal behaviour which cost people their homes, health and their lives.
“This type of hypocrisy is extraordinary, particularly from someone seeking to be President.”
Minister McEntee pointed to Catherine Connolly’s record of calling for moratoriums on repossessions, questioning fast-track evictions, condemning banks as criminals for dispossessing family homes and demanding transparency and conflict-of-interest standards for others.
“Those positions were delivered forcefully by Deputy Connolly until recently.
“When questions have been asked in this election campaign, she has engaged in silence and deflection.
“The self-declared defender of mortgage holders, tenants and transparency has fallen silent when accountability threatens to expose the truth.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with fully qualified legal professionals working for financial institutions.
“However, the fact that Catherine Connoly has been refusing to answer simple questions about her work in this area, and moves quickly to insult those who raise it, suggests she definitely thinks there is.
“Deputy Connolly wants to be our President. She must address these issues before Friday.
“The Irish people deserve better than this dodging, evasion and hypocrisy,” Minister McEntee said.
Minister McEntee said the unanswered questions include:
- How many repossession cases did she represent?
- Why did she never declare this when speaking on the subject in the Dáil, in Galway City Council or on media? Why not be straightforward and honest?
- How many family homes were taken?
- How much did she earn from repossession?
- What banks did she act for?
- When did she start representing banks?
- When did she stop representing banks?
ENDS
Notes to the editor:
On July 19th, 2016, a few months after becoming a TD, Deputy Catherine Connolly told the Dáil she agreed with calls for a moratorium on house repossessions: ““While I hear Deputies ask for a moratorium on house repossessions, with which I agree,”
https://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2016-07-19a.369
On December 16th, 2016, Deputy Connolly speaking on a residential tenancies bill expressed her concern for fast track evictions: “There is no security of tenure or affordability. In fact, the Minister is building in price increases. All of the evidence is there that the current rents are not affordable. The Minister is building in increases. He is fast-tracking evictions for those who will not be able to pay their rent. He is ignoring the evidence that not only people in mortgage arrears are evicted.
https://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2016-12-16a.173#g290
On October 25th, 2017, while speaking on a Tracker Mortgages motion, Deputy Connolly said:
I have one minute left and I would like to use it on behalf of those people who have lost their homes, their health and, on occasion, their lives because of the absolutely criminal behaviour of the banks. A serious question must be answered about the role of the public interest directors on these banks. What are they doing? A serious question must also be asked about the banks themselves, two of which we substantially own. They have done this in our name, but I say clearly that they have not done it in my name. What they have done is criminally wrong.
https://www.oireachtas.ie/ga/debates/debate/dail/2017-10-25/34/
On November 15th, 2017, Deputy Connolly said of her former party, “When Labour was in government with an overwhelming majority, it actively brought in policies that created the crisis relating to housing and homelessness.”
https://www.kildarestreet.com/debates/?id=2017-11-15a.458
On February 15th, 2018, Deputy Connolly queried the Government scheme to support distressed borrowers including what legal assistance they were being provided: ‘To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 170 of 1 February 2018, the details of the 10,000 advice and assistance services provided to distressed borrowers up to mid-January 2018 by the Abhaile scheme in terms of court circuits, numbers of vouchers provided to solicitors and the average value of the vouchers; and if he will make a statement on the matter.’
https://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2018-02-15a.383#g384.q
On January 23, 2019, speaking on a Residential Tenancies Bill, Deputy Connolly said:
“”Over the past two years I have participated in many debates on mortgages, mortgage arrears and people losing their homes because of their inability to pay mortgages. All of this time the other problem was people being evicted for failure to pay rent because they simply were not able to do so. We are refusing altogether to look at that.”
https://www.kildarestreet.com/debate/?id=2019-01-23a.444
On November 7th, 2019 while speaking in the Public Accounts Committee on an issue in relation to GDPR, Deputy Connolly said: “I am struck by how all of the financial arrangements and payments in respect of the Legal Aid Board, including criminal legal aid, are published. The names of the barristers and solicitors involved are set out, as are the moneys they receive.” She went on to query would this transparent practice no longer be the case if GDPR practices changed.
https://www.kildarestreet.com/committees/?id=2019-11-07a.5&s=barrister+speaker%3A435#g51
This year on June 5th, Deputy Connolly raised the issue of witnesses and a conflict of interest before the Defence and National Security committee: “I want to go to the conflicts of interest. Is there a protocol here that, when witnesses come before the committee, they should declare any conflicts of interest? Has that happened with any of the witnesses so far?”
https://www.kildarestreet.com/committees/?id=2025-06-26a.215#g415
