Katherine Zappone | Business Post

Two-year cooling off period a ‘minimum’ for politicians turned lobbyists, expert says

Gary Murphy told an Oireachtas committee stronger rules around lobbying are necessary to avoid the perception that the Dáil is a ‘cosy cartel for political insiders’

Coveney survives Sinn Féin no confidence motion

Minister for Foreign Affairs had the support of 92 TDs while 59 voted against him, including rebel backbencher Marc MacSharry who resigned from the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party

There was no confusion over government regulations for outdoor events, Varadkar claims

Government ‘regulations’ take precedence over ‘guidelines’ because they are ‘based in statute’, according to the Tanáiste

Analysis: Varadkar and Fine Gael need fresh ideas to show they have not gone stale in power

In an attempt to inject some relevance back into the party, Varadkar will use the think-in to make the case for an increase to welfare and pension rates at the next budget

Fáilte Ireland was told outdoor hotel events were not allowed

New FoI documents suggest ‘Merriongate’ party contravened public health regulations, but requests for clarity were not answered

Zappone was not ‘lobbying’ when she sought UN special envoy role

The Regulation of Lobbying Act does not apply to communications made by individuals apart from those related to the zoning and development of land, according to the Standards in Public Office Commission

Zappone could be asked to face Oireachtas over envoy saga

Committee on foreign affairs will decide next week whether it will ask the New York-based former TD to attend for questioning

Analysis: Coveney faces tough questions and further embarrassment

The data dump of documents by the Department of Foreign Affairs on the Zappone controversy has provided ample material for probing questions from TDs at the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs committee

Department of Foreign Affairs tight-lipped over deleted Zappone texts

Simon Coveney, the foreign affairs minister, said last week he had scrubbed text conversations with the former children’s minister from his phone because it had been previously ‘hacked’

FG still sending the wrong message as Zappone controversy rumbles on

The ongoing furore about the appointment of the former minister for children as a special envoy to the United Nations is causing further division in the coalition

Analysis: Varadkar’s release of Zappone text messages adds to government discord

The controversy over the UN envoy appointment and the now infamous Merrion Hotel event shows no sign of abating as Varadkar puts messages into the public realm

Dept of Foreign Affairs to publish correspondence on Zappone appointment

The former children’s minister turned down the appointment at the start of this month, in the wake of considerable public backlash

Michael Brennan: How a cosy appointment turned into a political crisis

There is confusion within Fine Gael as to why senior party figures seem eager to do favours for a former independent minister who rejected them.

Calls for clarity on outdoor rules ‘ignored’ until Merrion controversy

Fáilte Ireland was unsuccessful in its attempts to get guidance from the government

Michael Brennan: Zappone’s departure will limit the fallout, but the past week has damaged the coalition

Had the former minister not resigned from her appointment as the government’s UN special envoy, her gathering in the Merrion Hotel could have turned into Hotelgate, a year on from Golfgate

Matt Cooper: Smith’s message to Olympic heroes says more about her than them

Michelle Smith de Bruin’s congratulations to Ireland’s medal-winning rowers in Tokyo were more about her achievement than theirs

Zappone stays silent as pressure mounts on FG over appointment

The former TD has demonstrated in the past that she possesses political survival skills in abundance

Analysis: Zappone row illuminates uncompetitive nature of diplomatic appointments

The optics of a former cabinet colleague being hastily appointed to a prestigious international role are not good for the government, yet a change in policy of how such roles are filled is unlikely any time soon