There has been a sharp focus on the inquiry into the UK’s handling of Covid from the legal community, with lawyers enjoying a significant financial windfall from it. As of yet, legal fees from the government have already reached a staggering £26.2 million (€31 million). The eventual cost, however, is anticipated to be considerably more once other entities such as hospitals, care homes, and victims, submit their expense claims. Understandably, local lawyers have been intensely attentive to this forthcoming investigation.
Multinational law firm Fieldfisher, which runs over 50 law practitioners from its Dublin office, has been notably involved. Throughout the course of the UK Covid inquiry, Fieldfisher has been offering the Cabinet Office legal counsel and has also generously proposed to extend its services to Ireland.
In a letter to the Taoiseach’s Department, revealed under the Freedom of Information Act and unfortunately heavily censored, Fieldfisher underlined its extensive history with various investigations, such as the ones concerning Hillsborough and the Grenfell Tower.
The firm conveyed to John Shaw, an assistant secretary at the department, that their public and regulatory law team at Kingsfisher has substantial know-how in statutory inquiry management. Fieldfisher pointed out that, since the Hutton inquiry in 2003, the UK now brings in external lawyers for investigations in order to avoid any suspicion of partiality from the lawyers involved.
While there may be a perception that using in-house lawyers for an inquiry work might be cost-effective, the firm argued that utilising external legal experience could lead to notable cost savings. According to them, ensuring inquiries conclude within the determined budget and timeline aids in preserving public trust in the ideas of inquiries.
On another note, John Moran has recently experienced a bittersweet moment. He celebrated his election as Limerick’s first directly elected mayor last week, only to have a damper put on his celebrations when An Bord Pleanála announced a decision. Moran and his partner, Damien Duggan, had challenged St Vincent de Paul’s proposal to transform a Georgian quarter city building on Hartstonge Street into a €3 million community support facility last year.
Moran and Duggan, currently in the process of renovating a neighbouring property on Pery Square, expressed concern about the existing St Vincent de Paul facility in the vicinity. They voiced issues related to increased prostitution, rodent infestations, anti-social behaviours, public micturition, and begging. Moreover, they criticised the local council’s decision to greenlight the facility the previous year, describing it as whimsical, prejudiced, whimsically selective, and generally lacking rationality. Despite their objections, a planning inspector dismissed their argument and defended the city’s Georgian core as a legitimate site for the facility, labeling many of their grievances as baseless. The inspector asserted that the proposed upgrades did not violate any guidelines of the development plan. This whole incident suggests that Moran might need to familiarize himself better with the local development plan, which is a crucial component of his new obligations.
In a related development, Nigel Farage’s Reform party is looking to oust Jacob Rees-Mogg from Somerset North East and Hanham in the imminent UK election. Surprisingly, they have pinned their hopes on Paul MacDonnell, an Irish man with extensive experience in regulatory affairs for Insurance Ireland and co-founder of Dublin-based economic policy forum Open Republic. Holder of a degree in medieval English literature and philosophy from Trinity College Dublin, and an MBA from UCD, MacDonnell commits himself to halting “rampant immigration” as well as freeing the UK from the grasp of “non-elected activists”. Furthermore, he’s pledged to uphold freedom of speech and to cut down on governmental size. It’s suggested that Farage might use MacDonnell’s expertise in Irish affairs to prevent any future blunders – such as the infamous incident where he mistakenly extended birthday well-wishes to an Irish man on Cameo and cheered “up the RA”.
In a peculiar dispute of the week, Neil Jordan alleges in his upcoming memoir, Amnesiac, that Garret FitzGerald demanded compensation from Warner Bros over an article praising Jordan’s 1996 film on Michael Collins. According to Jordan, during a meeting with Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald thanked him for his favourable review and then casually mentioned his unpaid invoice, not to The Irish Times, but to Warner Bros themselves.
While Garret can’t offer a rebuttal himself, his son Mark FitzGerald has categorically dismissed allegations that his father may have financially exploited a film company. Speaking to The Guardian, he firmly stated that there was no possibility of such action from his father, adding that the concept of money was foreign to him. Jordan’s misinterpretation could be attributed to his unfamiliarity with FitzGerald’s unique sense of humour.
In a turn of affairs, notable dog breeder Raymond Cullivan from Poles, Co Cavan showed up on a list of tax defaulters last week. Cullivan, previously the subject of a scandalous BBC Panorama inquiry into deplorable conditions at puppy farms in 2016, had to shell out €108,155 in overdue taxes and fines. Despite opposition from animal rights advocates and celebrities like Louis Walsh, Linda Martin and Sharon Ní Bheoláin, Cullivan was successful in obtaining permission for building retention at his dog farm. But his recent run-in with the tax authorities might give his opponents some satisfaction. After all, every dog gets its day in the sun.
In other news, Google is in discussions with a pub operator to manage a bar at its Boland’s Quay complex. The tech powerhouse has approached Dublin City Council for a transformation permit to turn a planned retail unit/cafe on the ground floor of an old flour mill building into a pub. Lack of enthusiasm from cafes and retailers for this space prompted this move. The digital conglomerate insists its complex, which boasts a food market, will open shortly and aims to keep the ground floor fully occupied. Google also noted that there was a proposition from an anonymous pub operator for the site, arguing that the addition would positively influence the development’s character and bolster the “evening economy”. But whether everyone will be keen for a pint at Google remains to be seen. A little bird told me that the bartender might be a bit of a know-it-all.