Deputy Keaveney makes statement on media storm over wife's employment

GALWAY East Labour Deputy Colm Keaveney has been in the eye of a media storm lately over his stance on an number of controversial issues. He has come in for particular criticism of late over the issue of employing his wife as his Parliamentary Assistant. The Tuam Herald invited him to make a statement on the issue. Statement[private] AS Chairperson of the Labour Party, nobody will stop me defending what I believe in, even if that can sometimes make me unpopular with some powerful vested interests in Irish society. I am confident that the people of Tuam and those who know me, can clearly see what is at the root of the latest attacks on me in the media. It is surely no coincidence that the Chairperson of Fine Gael, whom I have the height of respect for, also has his wife working in his office, but has attracted little to no attention.  As I have always stated on the public record, my wife, Deirdre, has worked as a Parliamentary Assistant em­ployed directly by the Oireachtas on a job-share and full-time basis since the summer of 2011. On September 1 just gone, the position reverted to a full-time post due to constituency reorganisation and is currently being filled in a full-time capacity. The position of Parliamentary Assistant will revert to a job-share post once a candidate is recruited and selected through the Oireachtas application and selection procedures in full consultation with the Labour Party. TDs make different arrangements for staffing, for example some rural TDs share staff between Leinster House and their Constituency base. As Galway East is such a large area I feel it's imperative to keep all resources in Galway. The position of Parliamentary Assistant requires a diverse skill-set includ­ing speech writing, media relations, community activity, but the most important requirement of the job is that of trust and confidentiality. I leave Galway East for at least three/four days every week and I need to ensure that my constituents' concerns and issues are being handled confidentially and with sensitively. Deirdre has been my partner in politics for the past 20 years and has been dealing with constituents since I was first elected in 1999. Working as a member of staff of the Oireachtas allows the Parliamentary Assistant authority to act on my behalf dealing with government ministers and departments, accessing government and constituent records and databases, using the Oireachtas IT and email. These facilities are not available to non-staff members or political volunteers. For these reasons it is necessary to be directly employed by the Oireachtas to fulfil the role effectively. If a constituent calls my home and needs assistance at 'out of hours' I need to be confident that their requirements can always be met even when I am away and Deirdre can provide the same 24 hours, 7 day a week service that I am committed to delivering to my constituents. Any future staffing arrangements that I make in my office will have to be capable of meeting that commitment.[/private]