Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Which was not to be mentioned until afterwards.

The point is that what has happened under the stewardship of the Taoiseach and the Government is that although mismanagement, lack of accountability and lack of competence were clear at the very top of an organisation, which has done good work in many parts of the country, a person is rewarded with a golden handshake of €1 million on top of his pension. How can the Taoiseach justify this? How can anybody in Government, including the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, justify this by saying this was to effect a speedy departure so that the organisation would not be damaged? The reporters of The Irish Times today deal with the case of a FÁS assistant manager who was charged today with defrauding more than €600,000 from the State training agency. In order to effect a speedy departure and not to damage the organisation, a €1 million golden handshake on top of a pension, broadly in line with the guidelines, was effected with the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and was signed off by the Minister for Finance.

The Taoiseach knows Mr. Molloy — that is no fault of either. However, the Tánaiste, as the deputy head of Government, and the Minister for Finance were fully in possession of all these facts about the mismanagement and lack of accountability at the top of FÁS when this deal was signed off on. How in Heaven's name can the Taoiseach justify a decision like this to effect a speedy departure by a person who, by his own admission, was lax in his competency at managing an agency spending €1 billion of taxpayers' money, where a golden handshake of €1 million applied on top of his pension? From what perspective in regard to not damaging an organisation, and not giving the truth to the branding by former Deputy Glennon that the Taoiseach's party has become a party, in perception at least, of corruption and sleaze, can the Taoiseach justify this?

There is a gulf in understanding on the streets, which this does not help, but the Taoiseach stands here, as leader of the country, and justifies a golden handshake of €1 million plus for the former director general on top of his pension. I would like to hear the Taoiseach's stance as to why this was agreed, in what circumstances it was agreed and how he can justify it when thousands of people have seen their savings go down the black hole of the banks, have no pensions and no time in their lives to reconstruct any kind of financial lifeline? Can he justify that to the House?

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