asked the Minister for Finance if he has issued any guidelines to the staff of Fóir Teoranta regarding their involvement, in a personal capacity, in private firms as directors or in any other capacity, particularly where Fóir Teoranta may be involved in assisting such a company; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Fóir Teoranta Personnel.
12.
The issuing of guidelines to the staff of Fóir Teoranta regarding the matters raised in the question is part of the internal management of the company. I have not, therefore, issued any such guidelines.
I take it that the Minister accepts responsibility in relation to Fóir Teoranta as a State agency and therefore does he not consider it appropriate that he should be concerned about the manner in which Fóir Teoranta operate? In view of a recent case where an assistant chief executive of Fóir Teoranta was involved in a private company with which Fóir Teoranta were also involved in giving grants and shares and so on, does the Minister accept that there is need for a clear public statement of the guidelines which apply to Fóir Teoranta?
I will not comment on a particular case. However, it is my information from Fóir Teoranta, for whom this is a day to day management matter, that senior staff of Fóir Teoranta are required to devote their whole time and attention to the company and should not without prior consent engage in any other business or be concerned or interested in any other business of a similar nature to or competing with that of the company.
Is the Minister satisfied that these guidelines are being complied with?
I would wish to ensure that Fóir Teoranta applied their staff guidelines in regard to matters of this kind. While it is primarily a matter for them to do so in the context of day to day management, I am concerned, in my general review of Fóir Teoranta, to ensure that guidelines in this and in other matters applying to Fóir Teoranta are complied with.
Question No. 13.
Would the Minister not agree that it would seem very desirable that the Minister should issue guidelines to all such bodies under this authority to ensure that anybody engaged in executive functions would not engage in the kind of activity referred to by Deputy De Rossa? Is it not a matter for the Minister to issue the guidelines to each State body to guarantee that there cannot be a conflict of interest? The Minister should not just rely on the management decision of a State body.
I could not agree with that. Essentially it is part of the system of semi-State bodies here which has been quite successful that day to day management matters are a matter for the companies concerned. I would not wish to trespass unilaterally into the area of day to day management. However, it is my responsibility to satisfy myself in general that such guidelines as are appropriate exist and are followed in general. That is something which I would consider to be part of my responsibility but it would not be wise, for many reasons, including the fact that these bodies all differ in their activities, to issue general guidelines from the Minister when the issuing of such guidelines is a matter of day to day management and is more appropriately done by the board concerned who would have a knowledge of the risks they wished to guard against.
A Cheann Comhairle——
Just one final question——
Question Time today has been quite unsatisfactory. The questions have been too long and the Minister has been too fulsome in his replies.
I will be brief.
There is no way in which I can get order into Question Time without co-operation across the floor. Question Time is not the time to discuss policy. It is the time to get information.
I acknowledge the role of the Chair and I want to try very briefly——
I am calling Question No. 13.
Surely a statement of principle is not a day to day management matter.
I am calling Question No. 13;, and I would ask the Minister——
(Interruptions.)
I would like the Minister to answer that.
The Deputy can put down a question.
I have to protest. This is unfair.
If this were the first time today that the Minister came in with long statements——
On one precise thing——
(Interruptions.)
I answered questions. no more and no less.
Clearly this is not a day to day matter of management.
(Interruptions.)
I am calling Question No. 13.
I regret the Chair's ruling on this matter, and the Minister is sheltering behind it.