THE TAOISEACH AND Tánaiste have spoken to EU Commissioner Phil Hogan and asked him to consider his position in the wake of ‘golfgate’.
In a statement this evening, a spokesperson confirmed that:
“The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste did speak with Commissioner Hogan today and asked him to consider his position.
“They both believe that the event should never have been held, that the Commissioner’s apology came late and that he still needs to give a full account and explanations of his actions.”
On Thursday night, the Irish Examiner broke the story that Hogan was one of around 80 attendees at a golf function in Clifden, Co Galway.
Hogan claimed yesterday that he obeyed the government’s quarantine rules before attending the event.
In a statement on Twitter yesterday morning, Hogan said he was assured by the organisers that the arrangements in place complied with the government’s public health guidelines.
The Commissioner also confirmed yesterday that he restricted movements for two weeks after entering the country.
“Prior to the event, I had complied fully with the government’s quarantine requirements, having been in Ireland since late July,” he said at the time.
However, he initially did not apologise as part of his statement, and the Taoiseach called on him to do so in order to address the anger felt by the public.
Following this, Hogan did apologise for attending the Oireachtas Golf Society event in Clifden.
A spokesperson for Hogan said yesterday that he “regretted and apologises” for attending the event.
This evening a spokesperson for Hogan told RTÉ: “There will be no response this evening to the call from the Taoiseach and Tánaiste that he consider his position.
“We will reflect on that.”
Gardaí are investigating the event and whether it broke any Covid-19 guidelines.
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