Niall Collins to address Dáil about wife's purchase of land in Limerick

James Cox

Minister of State Niall Collins will address the Dáil on Thursday about his wife's purchase of land in Co Limerick.

The Minister of State for Higher Education has been under pressure to make a Dáil statement on the transaction, amid allegations by The Ditch, an investigative news website, that he was a member of Limerick County Council when it voted to dispose of the land, later bought by his wife.

He has been sharply criticised for his apparent failure to declare his wife's interest in buying the property or recuse himself from the local council's decision to sell the plot in Patrickswell.

The Limerick TD insists the sale was "transparent and open".

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy has said the Government has protected Mr Collins so far.

Mr Murphy said: "I think what we're going to get from Niall Collins later on is that he's not going to say whether he knew his wife had expressed an interest in buying the land or not, so I think we're going to be none the wiser very deliberately from Niall Collins and the Government... which has shielded him."