Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I am pleased to see the Minister in the Chamber to take these questions. I had intended to ask him a question regarding the remuneration of a particular individual, namely, Mr. Declan Collier, chief executive officer of the Dublin Airport Authority, DAA. Does the Minister consider it acceptable that a person in such a position should also be permitted to serve as a director of Allied Irish Banks and as a member of that bank's remuneration sub-committee? In other words, Mr. Collier is drawing a public salary from the DAA, receiving a second payment for his membership of the board of AIB and a third payment for his role on the bank's remuneration sub-committee. Does the Minister support the practice of people in the public service not only being paid an exorbitant salary but also being paid on the double and treble? I submitted that question to the Minister's Department, but it was not accepted.

I congratulate the Minister on his press announcement today regarding his meeting with representatives of the EU-IMF-ECB troika. I submitted a question for priority answer today on the Minister's specific role in dealing with the troika. Again, somebody in the Minister's Department decided he should not be allowed answer that question in the Chamber today and that it should instead be directed to the Department of Finance. The Minister should be careful; somebody is trying to nobble him before he even gets off the ground. He should tell his officials that questions on public expenditure issues should be answered by him rather than assuming the default position of making the Minister for Finance responsible for everything.

See this speech in context