Foley denies misleading Dáil over phone pouch meeting

Minister for Education Norma Foley has strenuously denied a claim by Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Finance Pearse Doherty that she misled the Dáil over her engagement with a company which sells mobile phone pouches.

The issue of the €9 million allocated in the Budget for mobile phone pouches for school students was raised by Mr Doherty during the final Leaders' Questions of this Government's term.

Mr Doherty had asked why it was not revealed that Minister Foley met with an executive from Yondr, the company making the mobile phone pouches, two years ago and received a pouch at that time.

He accused Ms Foley of misleading the Dáil on this issue.

A spokesman for Minister Foley said: "Minister Foley has held no formal meeting or discussion with Yondr, nor have any departmental officials.

"There is no question, therefore, of Minister Foley having misled the Dáil in relation to this matter."

The Minister did meet a Yondr representative at the annual conference of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals in Galway in October 2022 but this encounter "lasted under 60 seconds" as she walked past education-related stalls that were set up in the hotel.

The spokesman said: "In the course of her work as a government minister and a TD, Minister Foley regularly has these type of meet-and greet encounters with a large number of individuals.

"These are completely different to "formal meetings" on departmental policy, which are arranged through her diary office."

Correspondence released under the Freedom of Information Act showed that Yondr has repeatedly requested such a formal meeting.

Minister Foley has written to the Ceann Comhairle's office to request Mr Doherty to correct the Dáil record in relation to his incorrect claim that she "misled" the Dáil on the issue."

Earlier, in the Dáil, Mr Doherty asked why were people were not told that there would be a €2m yearly top up to replace up to 100,000 pouches annually.

In response, Tánaiste Micheál Martin contended that Sinn Féin was trying to engineer a situation whereby this becomes a big election issue.

He described himself as a long-term advocate of public health and said he believes social media is the public threat of "our time", particularly for children.

He also said spending on a security building at Government Buildings and the bike shelter at Leinster House was too high.

After some rowdy exchanges the Ceann Comhairle intervened, saying TDs were worked up and excited but they should save it for the doorsteps.

Following the Budget announcement last month, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald had said the €9m spend on mobile phone pouches in secondary schools as "a terrible waste of public money."

Minister Foley described it as a positive, proactive step that would allow secondary school students to have a mental break from their phones and allow them to learn without distraction.

Additional reporting Mícheál Lehane