An email sent through the Department of Agriculture relating to the weekend’s referendums was an error, an adviser to Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has stated.
The email quoted Minister McConalogue calling for a yes vote in the two referendums.
As this was a personal political view, not pertaining to his departmental duties, such an email should not have emanated from within the Department.
“It was an error,” the political adviser who sent the email admitted when speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal on Monday.
“The Department were not aware of it and the email should not have been sent from a Department account.”
Public funds
Following a case brought by Patricia McKenna, then a Green Party MEP, the Supreme Court ruled that the Government cannot use public funds to advocate in favour, or indeed against, a constitutional referendum proposal.
While the cost of an email press release of this type would be relatively tiny, the principle of impartiality should be observed.
The referendums were both heavily defeated, with the family referendum getting the support of less than one third of voters and the care referendum barely scraping one-quarter of those who cast their vote. Turnout was just under 45%.
SHARING OPTIONS