Minister for Arts Heather Humphreys has said she is “not at liberty to say” who approached her about putting John McNulty on the board of the Irish Museurm of Modern Art (Imma).

Speaking in Inchicore, Dublin, Ms Humphreys said it was a Fine Gael matter. “John McNulty’s name was mentioned to me. I looked at his credentials,” she said.

Asked who had mentioned Mr McNulty’s name, Ms Humphreys said: “I’m not at liberty to say who mentioned his name to me and because that’s a Fine Gael matter.”

Ms Humphreys said she got Mr McNulty’s CV. “I looked at it and assessed it and I take full responsibility for appointing him to the board of Imma.”

Asked why she appointed anyone when a full nine-person board was in place, Ms Humphreys said 15 people could serve on the board. She said she felt the representation from the regions could be improved.

Ms Humphreys said people who gave up their time to serve on boards deserved credit. “People who want to serve on boards should be lauded. They should be appreciated for what they do.”

She was speaking at an event in Richmond Barracks in Inchicore.

Controversy was sparked by the appointment of Mr McNulty, a Donegal businessman and former local election candidate for Fine Gael, to the Imma board shortly before he was named as Fine Gael’s candidate in the Seanad byelection. Opposition parties claimed he had been appointed to ensure he had the credentials to run for a place on the Seanad’s Cultural and Educational Panel.

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan moved to defuse the controversy surrounding Fine Gael last night by urging TDs and Senators to focus on the economy and to “move on” from recent events .

At a meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party last night which continued for more than 3½ hours, there were a number of highly charged contributions, but the the overall tone was low-key, according to TDs and Senators in attendance.

Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly has become the first senior minister to confirm he will vote for John McNulty, despite the fact that the Fine Gael candidate has effectively withdrawn from the Seanad byelection.

Mr Kelly told RTÉ’s News at One programme that he had “no intention” of voting for the Sinn Féin candidate Catherine Seeley. He also said he would not back Gerard Craughwell, the Independent candidate who was seconded by Fianna Fail.

Mr Kelly said he was left with “no option” but to continue to support Mr McNulty, who has asked Oireachtas members not to vote for him.

Mr Kelly said it was “irrelevant” who had mentioned Mr McNulty’s name to Ms Humphreys.

“It’s not something I’ve any interest in to be frank,” he said.

“I think this whole issue is now getting farcical. It’s bizarre in the extreme.”