Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I congratulate the Ceann Comhairle on his first day in office. I notice he has dispensed with the English prayer and this may be a new precedent he is setting. He will get used to the words in the vernacular after a while.

In the last period we have had a number of what I consider to be very sizable severance payments and golden handshakes to people in this country. Yesterday, there was the announcement of the €70,000 bonus to the chief of the Health Service Executive. This may be the norm or what the Taoiseach considers to be the norm but it is certainly not the norm for people outside.

I return to the severance package given to the former director general of FÁS, Mr. Rody Molloy. On 25 September at a press conference in NUI Galway when asked a question about this matter, the Taoiseach stated in respect of the additional golden €1.1 million package for Mr. Molloy that the matter was dealt with in accordance with established guidelines from the Department of Finance. I understand from newspaper reports and internal e-mails from November last, released under the Freedom of Information Act, that three officials in the Department, all with expertise in the pension area, referred to this enhanced package and stated it was outside the guidelines issued by the Department of Finance. In fact the letter sent from the Department of Finance to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on 26 November stated:

I note that the terms offered by your Department to Mr. Molloy are not fully in accordance with those of the circular letter of 26 May 1998 from this Department to all heads of Department. Nonetheless, I am to convey sanction to the proposed terms and conditions, that this is an exceptional case and that your Department is satisfied that these terms are appropriate in the circumstances.

Does the Taoiseach still stand by his comment that the additional package awarded to Mr. Molloy is in accordance with the Department of Finance guidelines, or does he wish to correct the public record in that regard?

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