Minister of State Niall Collins is the subject of a preliminary inquiry by the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) over his alleged involvement in a land deal dating back to the mid-2000s when he sat on Limerick County Council, the Irish Farmers Journal understands.

SIPO has said this week that it would be inappropriate to comment on any complaint that may or may not have been received.

A spokesperson for Minister Collins did not respond to an Irish Farmers Journal request for comment.

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Complaint

The forestry minister was the subject of a complaint filed with SIPO by a registered lobbyist named Kristopher Shekelton in April 2023 that alleged the then-councillor voted to sell council-owned land that was bought by his wife without declaring any interest in the deal.

“It is a criminal offence, punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment, for a councillor to vote on a matter where his spouse has a material interest and this is my reason for lodging this complaint,” the original complaint stated in referencing the 2001 Local Government Act.

The motion to sell the land was proposed by a Fianna Fáil colleague of Collins and the motion passed with all seven councillors in attendance approving the deal, according to this complaint.

Shekleton had alleged that Collins’ wife was in talks with Limerick County Council on the sale of five social units to the local authority on the lands in question.