Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)

I note from Mr. Fox's opening statement that there has been a catastrophic collapse in the salmon yields and salmon returns. There has been a catastrophic collapse in the public's trust in this organisation over the past three years. Mr. Fox also said that the organisation has been constrained for many years by limited financial resources. It is very hard to marry that type of statement with so many examples of the misuse of public funds. It is very hard to see how there have been constraints placed on an organisation that in many circumstances misspent or misappropriated funds in the way that IFI did.

I am going to first focus on some of the rulings from the WRC. The C and AG report refers to an unfair dismissal at a cost of €38,500 plus legal fees of €38,000. The WRC report stated that the employee was targeted from the beginning and that the CEO attempted to surreptitiously influence the adjudicator by attempting to speak to him off record. The WRC also stated that it could see no reason for the suspension and that it seemed that the employee was to be taken out by hook or by crook. How long did that employee work for IFI?