'Open' appointment of finance secretary general

THE APPOINTMENT of the new secretary general to the Department of Finance would follow an open and accountable process, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said.

It would be advertised internationally, with the interview board comprising an external chairman with business experience.

“This is as members would wish,” Mr Kenny added.

He was replying to Independent TD Shane Ross who referred to the departure of current secretary general Kevin Cardiff as the new Irish member of the European Court of Auditors.

“Is the Taoiseach prepared to explain to the House the circumstances in which this happened?” he asked.

Was it part of the policy which Mr Kenny had enunciated, before forming a government, to shake up the Civil Service and to make civil servants accountable for their actions, particularly those who were in charge or in pivotal positions at the time of the bank guarantee?

“The question that must be asked is did Mr Cardiff jump or was he pushed,” said Mr Ross.

Mr Ross said the Taoiseach should give an assurance that the process would be transparent and that the appointee appear before an Oireachtas committee, probably the Committee of Public Accounts.

The Taoiseach said Mr Cardiff carried with him a long career of distinguished public service and he had the credentials to do a first-class job at the European Court of Auditors.

He added that the Committee of Public Accounts was not an appointing body for persons such as Mr Cardiff’s replacement.