Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has ordered an investigation into a gathering of officials in his department in June 2020, in the aftermath of Ireland winning a UN Security Council seat.
The investigation will be undertaken by the new Secretary General in the department, Joe Hackett. An image which was shared on social media at the time shows a number of officials from the Department's UN Security Council campaign team gathered together posing for a photograph indoors.
Ireland was in Phase Two of its reopening plan at that stage, and Covid-19 regulations stipulated that people could only meet up to six others from outside their household in both indoor and outdoor settings.
A departmental spokesperson told RTÉ News that the report should be completed by the end of the month. The spokesperson added Mr Coveney ordered the investigation last Thursday.