The whistleblower, Mr. Shane Corr, was suspended last week because he put information in the public domain that explained the dysfunctionality of the Department of Health and the HSE. His actions were admirable and without doubt in the public interest. He has done this State some service but it appears if someone does the State a service, they will get suspended.

The chief executive of Wexford County Council, Mr. Tom Enright, has had one of the most damaging findings from the Standards in Public Office Commission, SIPO, against him and, rather than suspend him pending an investigation, councillors in Wexford exonerated him, and gave him a round of applause and a standing ovation. These councillors were led by Fianna Fáil's chair, Councillor Barbara-Anne Murphy. SIPO found, among other things, that Mr. Enright was using the weight of the public purse to influence editorial content at the local radio station, South East Radio. Days after the finding, Wexford County Council wrote to South East Radio seeking to influence editorial content yet again. I previously raised this matter with the Taoiseach in the House and, quite rightly, he condemned this appalling behaviour. However, following his condemnation, Wexford County Council wrote to South East Radio for the third time seeking to negotiate editorial terms in exchange for advertising in the guise of a service level agreement. South East Radio has called for an independent investigation and, according to yesterday's The Irish Times, states it is supported in this call by Independent Broadcasters of Ireland.

The Taoiseach's colleague, Fianna Fáil chairperson Barbara-Anne Murphy, said she was considering how to move matters forward. In that regard, the chief executive, Mr. Enright, and Fianna Fáil Councillor Murphy, now want to mediate on the terms of the editorial output of the radio station. It appears they think it is appropriate to mediate on one of the most fundamental principles that underwrites our democracy and Constitution, namely, freedom of the press. It further appears Government councillors believe the only wrong caused in this controversy was that all the correspondence was in writing. The controversy is very damaging and dangerous, not just for Wexford but as a whole.

Does the Taoiseach think it is appropriate to mediate with a broadcaster on its editorial policy? I do not believe he does. When will he take action to give effect to his own words and suspend the chief executive, pending the outcome of an investigation conducted by an independent senior counsel to be appointed? Does he believe, as his actions to date suggest, that a damning finding from SIPO is so irrelevant that no action should be taken?

I do not know what the Deputy means by my "actions to date". I will park that for a moment. In the first instance, she raised an issue in respect of an individual she identified, Mr. Shane Corr. It is not appropriate for me to discuss human resource issues regarding individuals. There are many aspects to that entire situation that merit an objective assessment. I will say no more than that on what appears to have transpired there, which some will have some misgivings about. I am talking about others who participated in meetings and were speaking freely, perhaps not realising that what they were saying was either being recorded or distributed. That is an issue that needs to be resolved and dealt with within the HR structures of the Department of Health. I will say no more than that, at this stage.

I have made my position very clear in respect of the Wexford county manager and the SIPO judgment and conclusion on that. I have also made it very clear that no county manager and no local authority should ever attempt to leverage any advertisements in any local station or any newsprint media, with a view to editorial control or to somehow influence the content of any programme or news programme, or in any way attempt to interfere in the editorial independence of a news outlet. That is not right. It is wrong and I have said that repeatedly. I stand by that.

There are various mechanisms and structures. We are not the local authority. We are the Dáil. The local authority has mechanisms available to it, if it so wishes, to deal with any issues that relate to a manager or whatever. That is a matter for the authority and it has to look at it in the round and make its judgments. That is why we have local authorities. Very often, Deputies in this House criticise the lack of independence and autonomy for local authorities but, when an issue arises in a local authority, they say the Minister or Taoiseach of the day must intervene straight away. We have democratically locally elected authorities and they need to get on with it.

I do not know why the Deputy is personalising it by mentioning the cathaoirleach, Councillor Barbara-Anne Murphy, because a cross-party approach seems to have been adopted on this matter. It was not any one particular party or individual. I happen to know the cathaoirleach and, down through the years, I have found her to be a very decent person and a person of integrity. I do not think it is fair that the Deputy would come to the Chamber and personalise it to the degree she has.

We have heard it all before. Every time the Taoiseach says it, it just gets ignored. When he talked about honesty being the order of the day, the key point is that when somebody does something right in the Civil Service to ensure the public is safeguarded, they get punished. When a person does something wrong, and the State watchdog is scathing in its delivery of a report on that wrongdoing, they get a round of applause and a standing ovation from a county council led by a Fianna Fáil chair, Ms Barbara-Anne Murphy. That is the point. If that is the picture the Taoiseach wants to paint, that is very damning in itself. We have a report that is damning to the core of standards in public office but that appears to be without consequence for the chief executive. As a result, the wrongdoings will be repeated and ongoing, causing a scandal for Wexford.

This no longer an issue for the councillors. It is now a political issue. As far as I am concerned, while all the parties supported the chief executive and ignored the report, the Taoiseach's party led the council through the chair, Barbara-Anne Murphy. If the Taoiseach cannot take charge of the matter, appoint an independent investigator and place the chief executive on garden leave pending an outcome, we do not have much regard for freedom of the press.

I do not have the powers to appoint an independent investigator to a local authority. There are established structures, first of all, within local authorities to deal with this. The Deputy should engage with the council and councillors herself, meet all the parties on the council, if that is her view, and hear what they are saying.

They are the Taoiseach's foot soldiers.

The Deputy admitted it was cross-party.

The Independents did not.

The Deputy admitted it was cross-party. I have made it very clear I do not support what transpired.

It does not really matter.

Please.

It does matter.

The Deputy should allow the Taoiseach to reply without interruption.

It does matter. If it does not, why is the Deputy raising it?

It matters to the people of Wexford.

I have responded to the Deputy on the principle of this.

Fianna Fáil does not care-----

When I went to Wexford, in the presence of the radio station, I made it very clear-----

Freedom of the press.

Again, the Deputy is interrupting. I made it very clear that it was absolutely unacceptable for any local authority to try to interfere or editorially control any radio station or any newspaper by dint of the fact that it invests in advertising. That is wrong. SIPO has called that out, and----

Was it wrong to give him a standing ovation?

Time is up, please. I call Deputy Connolly.

-----I have made that very clear, but I do not know why the Deputy is trying to twist it and personalise it-----

There is no twisting. These are facts.

-----in the manner she has done today, which is not good either.

Deputy Connolly, please.