Gerard Craughwell amends Seanad interests to include pre-World Cup Doha trip funded by Qatari government

Independent Senator Gerard Craughwell has amended his statement of interests for 2022 to include an all-expenses paid trip to Qatar in advance of the World Cup in December.

Senator Craughwell flew business class from Dublin to the capital Doha and stayed for four nights in the five-star Ritz Carlton Hotel. The trip was paid for in its entirety by Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee which is funded by the Qatari government.

Senator Craughwell was part of a delegation of 16 parliamentarians representing the Geneva-based International Labour Organisation (ILO). They were brought to Qatar to be shown the working conditions for migrant workers there.

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The Gulf state has come under sustained criticism for its treatment of migrant workers who were brought in to build the seven new stadiums, as well as a new airport, roads, hotels and infrastructure for the tournament. The government there has claimed that no more than 50 workers died during World Cup construction and a further 560 people suffered life-changing injuries. But the figures have been disputed by international non-governmental agencies that put fatalities at approximately 6,500 during the 10 years of construction.

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Senator Craughwell told The Irish Times on Thursday that he had asked the organisers about the cost of the trip and was told that all the flights and hotels had been discounted. He said the cost of the hotel was €200 per night or €800 in total. He said the cost of the business-class flights was €1,000 each way, or €2,000 in total.

Upon returning to Ireland, Mr Craughwell did not include the cost of the flight or accommodation as a registrable interest. However, he amended his statement last week. In an amendment published on March 31st, under the Travel Facilities heading, he has stated: “Return Flights to and from Qatar, four nights accommodation and meals.” He added that the facilities had been supplied by the National Human Rights Committee, Qatar. He also noted that the “completion of this heading is entirely voluntary”.

The Senator said he was not aware he was required to include the trip among his interests. Following media reports on his trip he made inquiries to the Standards in Public Office and then to the Clerk of Seanad Éireann. He was ultimately directed to the Committee of Members Interests for the Upper House.

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Its chairman, Senator Shane Cassells, informed him that the committee’s recommendation was he should make a return as the trip had been paid for by the Qatari government and could not be regarded as part of his Seanad role.

“They told me that when you travel on a trip on behalf of some organisation, you need to disclose it,” said Senator Craughwell.

He added that he had been on another ILO trip to Qatar in the past and the Qatari Human Rights Commission was anxious to bring European parliamentarians to Doha to show how the treatment of workers had changed.

Migrant workers

The delegation was brought to accommodation where the workers lived, visited medical centres, and was briefed by the Red Crescent. He said the Qatari government had made “serious inroads” compared to the past but the situation remained far from ideal. He said that each “city” of migrant workers comprised 60,000 men and they were completely segregated from women and the cities were patrolled by armed security personnel.

He accepted that access was controlled during his visit. He said he managed to speak independently with migrant workers during one afternoon in Doha and was left in no doubt “it was a tough place to earn a living”.

Senator Craughwell faced criticism from other politicians for travelling to Qatar for a trip funded by its government and designed to cast its treatment of workers in the best possible light. Fellow Senator Malcolm Byrne noted that Qatar treats homosexuality as a crime and also for its poor record on human rights. The Senator later said the authorities in Qatar had led the delegation “on a merry dance” and had tried to dupe it on the issues involved.