Fianna Fáil Dublin Central byelection candidate John Stephens failed to declare farming income in his council ethics returns.
The Ditch reported last week that the councillor lied on a planning application for a second house.
Stephens and his wife Simone Clifford – Bertie Ahern’s former constituency secretary – receive more than €6,700 in annual EU CAP farming payments for a 20-acre farm they own in Kinvara, county Galway, in addition to any income they receive from the farm itself.
In 2024 the couple submitted an observation to Galway County Council after a neighbour had applied for planning permission beside their second house.
They told planners about their concerns about “major problems for us and our farm”.
Councillors are required under ethics laws to disclose any remunerated trade or occupation.
Stephens declined to comment when asked why he didn’t declare farming income on his Dublin City Council ethics return.
