Michael Cawley’s position is untenable
Michael Cawley’s position is untenable and the Tourism Minister Catherine Martin and the Minister of State, Jack Chambers need to state their position on his holiday to Italy according to Labour Spokesperson on Tourism and Sport Senator Mark Wall.
Senator Wall said:
“Minister Martin and Minister Chambers need to come clean and state their position on this. Did they know that Mr. Cawley was on holiday in Italy against the travel advice of the Government and while they were launching a €1 million tourism stimulus for Kildare, Laois and Offaly? Furthermore they need to state whether they think it’s acceptable and if not if they believe that Mr. Cawley’s position is tenable?
“I’ve spoken to many involved in the Tourism trade over the past weeks, particularly in the locked down counties of Kildare, Laois and Offaly. They are on their knees, footfall is down 90% and they are scraping together tables and chairs hoping customers will come, literally trying their very best to survive.
“Mr. Cawleys actions make a mockery of the Government’s mantra that we are all supposedly in this together and this affair smacks of one rule for us and another rule for them and I cannot see how he can expect to continue in his role. Irish people have made enormous personal sacrifices to suppress the spread of this deadly virus and for a senior official at a state agency to openly flout travel advice in the midst of the worst pandemic in living memory is frankly insulting and unacceptable.
“The Irish hospitality sector is on its knees and Government advice over the last number of weeks has been to encourage everyone to take a holiday in Ireland. The fact that the chair of the body promoting that advice is holidaying in Italy is unbelievable, you could not make it up. I would consider his position to be untenable and call on him to resign.