Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Were the guidelines set down by the Department of Finance ever breached in the case of any official from the Taoiseach's Department? I ask because the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, told the Dáil that in the case of the former director general of FÁS, Mr. Molloy, the €1.1 million golden handshake was in accordance with the rules of the Department of Finance. When Deputy Varadkar received the full information about that under the Freedom of Information Act, the internal memos revealed clearly that the assistant secretary in the Department of Finance told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment and his counterpart in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment that the terms given to the former director general were not in accordance with guidelines. He went on to say that he wanted to convey sanction to the proposed terms on condition that it was an exceptional case.

The Minister for Finance told us this was in order. The internal memos of the assistant secretary and the Department show that it was not in order. Is the Taoiseach concerned about this, given the amount of money involved? I heard a young woman say on radio this morning that she lives on €67 a week. Here is a golden handshake of €1.1 million, outside the guidelines laid down by the Government and the Department of Finance. Has this happened in any other Department? Is the Taoiseach satisfied that he is on top of this matter and that these things are not being sanctioned behind his back by Ministers where they consider that exceptional circumstances apply?

See this speech in context