DUBLIN, Oct. 11 -- Irish Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten, on Thursday resigned over having private dinners with a bidder for a government-funded broadband project in the country.
The resignation was announced by the minister at a meeting held at the country's lower house of the parliament.
In a short statement read out at the meeting, Denis Naughten said that "For my family, constituents and 1.1 million people waiting for this essential (broadband) service, to ordinary people in rural Ireland, I've given the Taoiseach (prime minister in Irish) my resignation."
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has accepted Naughten's resignation and announced that the vacancy of the post left by Naughten will be filled on a temporary basis by Richard Bruton, Minister for Education and Skills.
Pressure for Naughten's resignation came after reports revealed that he had several private dinners with a U.S. businessman of Irish origin named David McCourt who is involved in a bidding for a National Broadband Plan project, a government-sponsored project to provide high-speed broadband access to all premises in Ireland, especially in its rural area.
Leo Varadkar told the lower house of the parliament that he met with Naughten late Wednesday night over the private dinner issue, in which Naughten admitted he had a private dinner at McCourt's home in 2017, which was organized and attended by another Irish minister.
Later on Thursday morning, Naughten admitted that he had at least three further private dinners with McCourt in which there were no other Irish officials present and no minutes were taken, said Leo Varadkar.
Naughten told the lower house that having met Leo Varadkar Wednesday night it was clear that the Prime Minister did not have confidence in him and asked him to consider resignation.
In his resignation statement, Naughten defended him by saying that "as Minister I have to meet investors, whether it is in the telecoms or energy or any other sectors. These are the people who provide jobs in this country. That is the context in which I had meetings with Mr.McCourt and that is how it should be seen."
He said that he was "absolutely satisfied " that there was no interference in the procurement process of the broadband project by him.
Naughten is an independent politician who became the country's communications minister in May 2016.
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用牛津译林版)专项提能计划:书面表达(一)
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用牛津译林版)语法专项突破:九、名词性从句
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用牛津译林版)专项提能计划:完形填空(一)
2016年高考总复习优化英语课件(四川专用)写作教程:Module4
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用牛津译林版)专项提能计划:阅读理解(四)
2016年高考总复习优化英语课件(四川专用)写作教程:Module1
2016年高考总复习优化英语课件(四川专用)写作教程:Module6
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用)牛津译林版选修7《UNIT1-2》句型公式妙笔生花
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用牛津译林版)语法专项突破:三、形容词和副词
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用牛津译林版)专项提能计划:完形填空(四)
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用)牛津译林版选修7《Unit 4 Public transport》
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用)牛津译林版选修8《Unit 4 Films and film events》
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用牛津译林版)语法专项突破:四、动词和动词短语
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用牛津译林版)专项提能计划:完形填空(二)
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用)牛津译林版选修6《Unit 1 Laughter is good for you》
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用)牛津译林版选修7《Unit 3 The world online》
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用牛津译林版)语法专项突破:八、定语从句
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用牛津译林版)专项提能计划:阅读理解(三)
2016年高考总复习优化英语课件(四川专用)写作教程:Module3
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用)牛津译林版选修6《Unit 4 Helping people around the world》
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用牛津译林版)专项提能计划:书面表达(三)
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用牛津译林版)语法专项突破:一、代词
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用)牛津译林版选修7《Unit 2 Fit for life》
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用)牛津译林版选修6《Unit 2 What is happiness to you》
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用)牛津译林版选修6《UNIT3-4》佳作晨背·文思泉涌
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用)牛津译林版选修6《Unit 3 Understanding each other》
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用)牛津译林版选修8《UNIT1-2》句型公式妙笔生花
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用牛津译林版)专项提能计划:书面表达(五)
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用牛津译林版)语法专项突破:二、名词、冠词
2016高考英语总复习精选课件(江苏专用牛津译林版)专项提能计划:书面表达(二)