Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This is the very cronyism of which the Labour Party and the Minister opposite has accused others.

Hopefully, David Begg, a good man by all accounts, is not tainted by the hypocrisy of the party opposite. He may have the required experience for the job in question; I do not know him that well. If he had so much experience, why did the Tánaiste not encourage him to put his name forward, like the other mere mortals, into the hat of the State appointments procedure? Instead, a slíbhín method was used to appoint him, thus dragging him into the quagmire and controversy of the Tánaiste's making.

That same mechanism was also used to bypass the system when appointing Ita Mangan last June to the Citizens Information Board, another well-respected and well-capable woman. I believe she will be a good woman in that position. The problem, however, is that once again a process set up and lauded by everyone as a major step forward was bypassed. Again, she would have more than likely come out on top if she had gone through the process but she was not encouraged or required to. This is not the first time the Tánaiste ignored her own promises. In her arrogance, she is willing to bend the rules when it suits her. One only has to look at the 25% hike above the salary cap set for special advisers to Ministers. The pay packet of her special adviser, Edward Brophy, was set at €120,000, 25% above the cap.

Last night in her speech, the Tánaiste continued with the fairytale to perpetuate the lie that she and this Government protected the core social welfare rates.

The Minister and her party cut child benefit, jobseeker's allowance, jobseeker's benefit, pensions, the household benefits package, maternity benefit and the respite care grant. Also, whatever lone parents had and whatever the Tánaiste had against them, she has stripped them bare. She cut the fuel allowance, the back to school allowance, the footwear grant and the bereavement grant. How can she stand over a statement that she protected core rates of pay? It is time for her to go and this is why I am supporting this motion.

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