Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny today pledged to end excessive expenditure on ministerial expenses if elected to government as he again called on Ceann Comhairle John O’Donoghue to apologise for excessive expenses expenditure as a minister.
“When Fine Gael takes up office, these excesses will end and will be seen to end,” said Mr Kenny, adding that there was huge public concern about the expenses incurred by Mr O’Donoghue when he was Minister for Arts Sport and Tourism.
“I’ve criticised the Ceann Comhairle in that in his time as Minister for Arts Sport and Tourism, the excesses involved here were symptomatic of what was being done by a government in office too long.
“I haven’t accused him of doing anything illegal, but he should issue a full apology to the Irish taxpayer,” said Mr Kenny during a visit to Limerick to canvass for a Yes vote in the Lisbon II referendum.
“He was the minister in the Department and supposed to have been in charge and while he might not have known the arrangements for all of his visits, he would have known the consequences of them.”
Mr Kenny also called on Mr O’Donoghue to clarify exactly the role of Dan Collins whom he appointed as his special adviser at a salary of €90,000 a year when he took up the post of Ceann Comhairle.
“I expect that the Ceann Comhairle should be above politics and that’s what he [Mr O’Donoghue] states in his letter. I am not sure what the role and responsibility of anyone working in his office is and he should clarify that,”he said.
Mr Kenny also accused Fianna Fáil of playing politics with Nama in an attempt to secure the support of the Greens who seemed to be completely confused as to what they wanted to see enacted in the legislation.
“I don’t think the Greens know what they’re at here- the poll that they conducted at their own meeting at the weekend gave fourth preference to the proposals for the Government,” he said.
"Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan had declared months ago that the Nama legislation was immutable and yet now it seemed that the legislation is being amended continually to keep the Greens on board.
“I think the Government are playing politics here – they’re trying to get the Greens across the line to hang in there and the Greens themselves aren’t sure because of the heat’s that’s coming on as to what exactly they want," Mr Kenny said.
“I think it’s a pretty serious situation that this tail is wagging a dog that was once proud but that has lost all sense of coherence as to what it should be at,” said Mr Kenny.
“We were told from a cabinet meeting with great exclamation by Minister Eamon Ryan that this was it, we were now signed off and the following day we were told there would have to be further changes here.
“And then Minister John Gormley said there would be more changes . . . even as we speak they are probably rewriting sections of this bill which in essence is going to transfer a massive liability on to the Irish taxpayer,” the Fine Gael leader said.
