Celia Larkin, the former partner of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, has played down the controversy over her nomination by Mr Ahern to the interim board of the National Consumer Agency (NCA), claiming it would help to raise the profile of the board.
This came as Minister for Enterprise and Trade Micheál Martin defended her appointment amid claims from the opposition it was a blatant example of party political cronyism. Deputies from Labour, Fine Gael and the Green Party all criticised her nomination.
Contacted by The Irish Times yesterday, Ms Larkin did not respond directly to the criticism, although she suggested the controversy could actually benefit the board through the general public becoming more aware of its existence and remit.
"For the first time, the consumer in Ireland really has a say," Ms Larkin said of the new board. "There's nothing like a bit of controversy to raise the profile of a board like this."
She stressed she would not be receiving a salary from the appointment, due to be formally confirmed in the coming days.
"It's a voluntary board, so I'm giving my time voluntarily. That's an important point, and the public aren't aware of it."
Ms Larkin will be entitled to expenses, although details of the package for all board members have yet to be finalised.
She described the appointment as a personal honour, but declined to outline her views on the future work of the board.
"A board is a consensus body ... and I do believe it would not be courteous of me to give my views to the media before having discussed them with the board itself," she said.
Yesterday Mr Martin led the Government's defence of the appointment. "I think Celia Larkin is first of all a very experienced person ... both in the public sector and in the private sector, in terms of establishing a new business and so forth. She's a very capable person, and I think that would be acknowledged by all who know her," he said.
"Are people now saying because of who she is she is to be debarred from ever serving on any State board or from ever making a contribution to public affairs? If that is what people are suggesting, then I would equally argue that that's a very unfair proposition to put."
He said the idea that Ms Larkin, who runs a small beauty consultancy business in Dublin, was representing big business was "farcical".
Mr Ahern was unavailable for comment yesterday, but a spokeswoman defended the appointment, saying Ms Larkin had considerable experience from her former career in the Civil Service dealing with various State bodies and, more recently, in private business.
However, Green Party TD John Gormley said people should be appointed to Government boards on the basis of "what they know, not who they know", and that the appointment "smacked of cronyism".
News that Ms Larkin had been nominated to the interim board emerged yesterday after the existing 12 members of the 13-person board were notified of Ms Larkin's appointment. They were appointed last month. The Taoiseach had been asked for a nomination in mid-May, but took six weeks to provide a name.
A spokesman for Tánaiste Mary Harney said she had been consulted and gave her approval to a number of the appointments, including the chairwoman Ann Fitzgerald. She was not consulted on Ms Larkin but had "no problem with it". He said the Tánaiste believed Celia Larkin to be a very capable person.