THE WORKING RELATIONSHIP between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael has not been damaged by the Ivan Yates controversy, according to Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan.

Fianna Fáil broke its silence on Yates’s role in its presidential campaign after it emerged over the weekend the former Fine Gael minister had been involved in debate preparation for its candidate Jim Gavin.

In a statement the party said it has “for many years” used the services of media skills consultants, “like all political parties”.

“The party currently works with a number of providers, all on an ad-hoc basis,” it said.

In the presidential campaign, it retained the services of Yates to provide interview and debate training. 

Yesterday, Newstalk said it would be reviewing Yates’s work at the station throughout the presidential campaign as it was previously unaware of any conflict of interest. Yates had filled in on the Pat Kenny Show on 23, 24 and 25 September.

TodayFM presenter Matt Cooper, who co-presented political podcast Path to Power with Yates since December 2023, said he was “gobsmacked” to learn of Yates’s work for Fianna Fáil during the campaign. 

Asked about the matter today, O’Callaghan told RTÉ that Fianna Fáil did nothing improper but that Yates should have made it known that he did this work.

“Obviously Fianna Fáil have put out a statement today. Ivan Yates had a very limited involvement with Jim Gavin’s campaign from what I am being told today,” he said.

“Apparently, he worked for a period of four hours on the campaign, preparing him for two specific interviews. Obviously, he should have disclosed that in terms of other work he was doing.

“The fact that he didn’t subsequently disclose it is a matter for Ivan Yates and the people with whom he worked with subsequently.”

The minister said he is “not washing his hands with it” and that he is “not responsible for what Ivan Yates failed to do”.

Yesterday, Fine Gael Minister of State for Migration Colm Brophy said: “Fianna Fáil have questions to answer, and I don’t think they can just dismiss it.”

The latest revelations come amid discontent among Fianna Fáilers over the handling of the Jim Gavin campaign.

An internal party report on that matter is due to be completed next week.

The news of Yates’ involvement in the election campaign, on the back of another poor showing in a newspaper poll over the weekend, which sees Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin’s popularity drop to 33% in the space a month, has only ratcheted up bad feelings among backbenchers. 

Those The Journal asked about the matter said it was just another “embarrassing” revelation, but the majority said they didn’t expect it to make much of a difference to the overall assessment of the presidential campaign. 

One TD said they didn’t think anything would come of it, stating that ”maybe the usual protagonists will kick up a fuss”.

Another said only full transparency will restore any trust within the party about how the whole presidential campaign was handled by the party from start to finish. 

Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers said it is a matter of public record in the past that Yates was involved in providing media training to the party.

“Obviously, Ivan Yates and his engagement with different media organisations is a matter for him, and something he should have disclosed as part of the wider campaign,” said the minister, who noted that the pundit only provided four hours of training.

Spokespeople for Housing Minister James Browne and Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien confirmed today that they have acquired Yates for media training in the past. 

A statement from Children’s Minister Norma Foley states that the minister took part in two media and communications training sessions amounting to approximately three hours with Yates in 2024, prior to the general election, and she has had no further engagement with Yates since then.