Legal expert brands Minister's revelation about Wallace 'disturbing'
A legal expert has said the Justice Minister revealing that TD Mick Wallace received a caution for using his mobile phone while driving, raises a number of privacy and data protection issues.
Alan Shatter declared on television last Thursday, that the Wexford TD was stopped by Gardaí for driving using his phone last year.
Mick Wallace claims the revelation represents a serious abuse of the Minister’s powers, and a breach of the Code of Conduct for Office Holders.
He also said he has no recollection of the event.
A partner at Simon McAleese Solicitors, Tony Williams, said it is very worrying that Mr Shatter, in his uniquely privileged position, would make such information public.
Mr Williams said: "There's privacy issues and data protection issues. What makes this slightly more disturbing is the fact that the incident with Mick Wallace didn't result in penalty points.
"It didn't result with anything that was officially in the system anywhere, how on earth did the minister get this?
"This is an incident from May of last year, not May of this year, he has had this filed away in his little black book for a year, how did this come to him?"
Meanwhile, the Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins is accusing the Justice Minister of "blatantly abusing his position to cynically smear another individual".
He is questioning Mr Shatter's judgement on this issue.
