Leo Varadkar passed a request from Donald Trump’s hotel for state assistance in meeting a €1m storm-damage bill to a fellow minister, weeks after Trump had asked him to intervene in a local planning dispute.

On March 25, 2014, Varadkar passed on the request for financial aid even though only public infrastructure was eligible to avail of the state’s €69.5m storm-repair fund.

New documents released under freedom of information show that on February 11, 2014, the day that Trump’s purchase of the Doonbeg golf resort was announced, Joe Russell, the hotel’s general manager wrote directly to Varadkar, the then minister for transport, tourism and sport. The government had just announced it would make €69.5m available to local authorities to deal with winter storm damage.

Russell