Phil Hogan has published details of his movements during his recent trip to Ireland.
The EU Trade Commissioner has revealed he played golf in Adare, Co. Limerick five days before attending the Oireachtas Golf Society function in Galway.
Mr Hogan has acknowledged "it is abundantly clear that the event should not have been held and that I should not have attended this dinner."
He has provided further clarifications following a request from the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
In his version of events, Mr Hogan says he filled in a Passenger Locator Form on July 31st and travelled to a "temporary residence" in Kildare.
Six days later he underwent a medical procedure at a Dublin hospital, where he tested negative for covid-19.
He says as a result of this he "was not under any subsequent legal requirement to self-isolate or quarantine."
On August 6th, the commissioner returned to Kildare and travelled to Kilkenny the following day before the local lockdown rules affecting Kildare came into effect.
Mr Hogan played golf in Adare Co. Limerick on August 13th and returned to Kikenny.
In his memorandum sent to the Commission President, he accounts for the final five days of the trip:
17 August – I travelled from Co. Kilkenny to Co. Galway via Co. Kildare. I stopped briefly in Co. Kildare at the property in which I had been staying for the purpose of collecting some personal belongings and essential papers relating to the ongoing negotiations with the USTR, Robert Lighthizer, which continued while I was in Co. Galway. This culminated in an agreement on a package of tariff reductions on 21 August.
18 August – I played golf in Co. Galway, staying in Clifden. (no formal dinner or reception).
19 August – I played golf in Clifden, and subsequently attended a formal dinner for which I have since apologised.
21 August – I returned from Galway to my temporary residence in Co. Kildare to collect my remaining personal belongings, including my passport, and stayed there overnight to catch an early morning flight to my primary residence in Brussels from the nearby airport.
22 August – I returned to Brussels.
Phil Hogan insists he complied with public health regulations in Ireland to the best of his knowledge.
He also says he followed public health guidance during his time in Kildare.
Mr Hogan says his justification for entering Kildare to obtain essential working documents or to get belongings for the purpose of returning home to Brussels constitutes “a reasonable excuse” under the regulations.
