Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is widespread speculation that the Taoiseach will appoint the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, to the position of European Commissioner. I will not ask him to comment on that today, but there a number of unanswered questions about the Minister's suitability. Recently, in what is a feature of the Government, he appointed seven former Fine Gael and Labour Party councillors to State boards, and he is also mired in controversy when it comes to the planning process. He appointed as deputy chairperson of An Bord Pleanála an individual who was the former technical director of RPS consulting engineers, a private company that framed a series of controversial projects which have come before An Bord Pleanála. The Minister also extended this person's term of office. This individual voted to approve contentious projects on which RPS Group was a consultant, which had been rejected by An Bord Pleanála inspectors. These include an apartment development in Dún Laoghaire and a sewage treatment scheme in County Donegal. He also approved a controversial wind farm at Cullenagh, County Laois. These clearly raise questions of a conflict of interest. RPS Group consultants also advised EirGrid to install overhead pylons, and they were also among the consultants employed at a cost of €85 million by Uisce Éireann, in which two former senior RPS Group executives now hold senior positions. Is it not the case that unless these matters are clarified, it would be inappropriate for the Taoiseach to nominate the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to the position of Commissioner?

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