Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I do not want to drag up the individual case either. It is history now - costly history. The point is that guidelines are laid down by the Government and the Department of Finance, and those guidelines were breached in this case. The Minister for Finance told us they were not breached when clearly the internal information showed that they were breached. Since that issue arose and since that matter was dealt with in the way it was, have these guidelines changed? If a case is deemed to be an exceptional one, is that brought to the Taoiseach's attention as Head of Government so he can be satisfied that Ministers down the line from him are not deeming cases to be exceptional and these guidelines can be breached, with large amounts of money paid out as golden handshakes to people?

The Taoiseach should talk to the young woman I heard on radio this morning, who lives on €67 a week, and tell her if she leaves a job she will have a proportionate golden handshake equivalent to €1.1 million. It is a very significant sum. Since that matter arose and was dealt with in the way it was, namely, the guidelines were breached, the Minister said they were not and the case was covered up on the basis of it being an exceptional case, have other such issues been brought to the Taoiseach's attention? Has he changed the rules so that he is fully in charge of this issue?

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