Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is not a bone of contention but we might clarify that.

I have an open mind on one of the contentious issues in this legislation. I do not have a fixed view, although some people have fixed views on this issue. The Minister nailed his colours to the mast in the programme for Government about the two year cooling off period. The legislation refers to one year. I know some people believe strongly the period should be two or three years, or that the person should never work in the area again. Some people will always go to the extreme and if the Minister is introducing such measures for somebody who leaves a public body, the issue of compensating that person who cannot work again in an area in which they have expertise must be examined. The popular view is that the period should be two years, the longer the better, that we are all pariahs and we should not have interaction between the public and private sectors. I take the opposite view. Part of what is wrong with Ireland is that there is an undue suspicion between the public and the private sectors. The more regulated interaction, the better. More interaction is better for both the public and the private sector but I accept that we must regulate it. I am not just sure whether the legislation should provide for a period of one or two years.

I will give an example, and the Minister might respond that it is good for the company involved. A senior official in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine who was excellent in terms of the dairy or the beef industry retires at whatever age he is entitled to retire. It could be beneficial for the country for that person to be employed by one of our major international co-operatives to help our food exports. Some might say he should go home and watch DVDs or play golf for two years and that he should not be allowed take up a position that could help the industry, employment and exports. I believe we must reconcile that issue. I may be going a little too far but I can see a situation where a retired public servant, and we are talking about different grades of people, through the talents and knowledge he or she has built up, being used in the international sphere for the good of the country, and he would be getting paid for it - there is no argument about that. I would be concerned that we would take the simple line that he could not do that. It is complicated, and conflict of interest issues arise, but it is an issue we have to tease out. I do not subscribe to the strict demarcation line between the public and the private sectors. Exchange of staff between the public and private sectors can be good for all concerned. The question I have to ask is who lobbied for that change since the programme for Government was agreed.

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