Minister for Education and Kerry Fianna Fáil TD Norma Foley has written to the Ceann Comhairle requesting that a Sinn Féin TD correct the Dáil record.
Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty claimed Minister Foley misled the Dáil over her engagement with a company that sells mobile phone pouches.
Minister Foley denies that claim.
Minister Norma Foley says she never held a meeting with Yondr or any other mobile phone pouch providers.
She says she attended the annual conference of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals in Galway in October 2022, where she had to pass by education-related stalls on her way to deliver her speech.
She says she stopped briefly to say hello to staff at the stalls, this included a Yondr representative who gave her a Yondr pouch. Minister Foley says the encounter with the Yondr representative lasted under a minute.
She says as a minister she regularly has these type of meet-and-greet encounters but these are completely different to formal meetings on departmental policy, which are arranged through her diary office.
Minister Norma Foley says correspondence released under the Freedom of Information Act shows Yondr has repeatedly requested such a meeting with her before and after the Galway conference.
She says she’s held no such meeting or discussion with Yondr, nor have any of her departmental officials.
Yesterday, Kerry general election candidate Mary Fitzgibbon stated it was important Minister Norma Foley set the record straight as to whether she was lobbied by the mobile phone company Yondr.
She also called on Minister Foley to outline whether it was true that the phone pouches, that cost €9 million, will cost an additional €2 million each year to maintain.
