Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I did not catch all of the Taoiseach's reply. FÁS, which was a case in point, has received massive coverage in recent months and for good reason. There was clearly a lack of oversight and judgment as to what was going on in that organisation. I referred yesterday to the comments by the Taoiseach about the former chief executive and noted that the Tánaiste appeared to know very little about what was going on in FÁS. In view of the very changed circumstances in which we find ourselves in regard to the performance of public duties by Ministers and agencies associated with the State, what changes in oversight does the Government propose to introduce to ensure these kinds of excesses cannot happen again?

The Ethics in Public Office (Amendment) Bill 2007 went through the Seanad on 4 July 2007 - two years ago - and is still on the Order Paper for the Dáil. As the Taoiseach is aware, its main provision is to increase the value of gifts that Ministers and parliamentarians can receive. Instead of taking the suggestions made by the Standards in Public Office Commission, the Ethics in Public Office (Amendment) Bill 2007, published by the Department of Finance, which was under the stewardship of the Taoiseach at the time, focused entirely on the provision of gifts to Ministers and parliamentary officeholders. The legislation raised the value of gifts which had to be declared to the Standards in Public Office Commission for a declaration that the gift would be unlikely to influence the recipient in the performance of his or her duties from, I understand, €650 to €2,000. Take D

That is a considerable purchase fee for a gift or item for an officeholder or whatever Minister might be involved. In view of the circumstances we now find ourselves in, is it proposed to reduce that limit and have only token gifts or awards made to Ministers?

I am sure some of those on the other side have attics filled with bog deal, glass bowls and mirrors of all descriptions which were awarded to Ministers such as the Minister, Deputy Cullen, when they cut tapes here and there. All I am asking is for the situation to be regularised. I am sure the Minister does not want to do a round of ten different hotels and have a little plaque given to him. He would be far better off going off, saying his piece and saying he does not want anything.

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