Political protection for many State agencies unacceptable, says Ross

SEANAD REPORT:IT WAS not acceptable that many State agencies and bodies appeared to be politically protected, Shane Ross(Ind) said. The way to remove that protection was to debate their activities.

Adding to calls for accountability, Mr Ross said the bonus awarded to the head of the HSE seemed indefensible, at least in the context of the present time.

He wanted a debate on CIÉ because he said it seemed the company and other State agencies had run amok. They should be answerable to Ministers. He did not think anyone in the House knew where CIÉ’s annual €320 million subvention went. A leaked report on CIÉ had found that there was collusion on contracts.

“It used the word ‘fraud’ throughout it. It talked about manipulation of contracts and about theft going on there.”

This report, made to the CIÉ board, had not been given to the Minister, although he now had a copy. “We don’t know how many millions have been lost there, but it’s going to run into double figures, I suggest.” Seanad members could take a lead in debating such issues, he added.

Fidelma Healy-Eames(FG) called for an investigation into complaints that centres and hostels for women seeking asylum or refugee status were being targeted by men who were hanging around them to solicit women and children for trafficking and prostitution. The Galway Rape Crisis centre had informed her that 20 per cent of their clients seeking counselling following rape and sexual abuse were asylum seekers and refugees. As less than one per cent of Galway's population was made up of refugees and asylum seekers, this was disproportionate.

Feargal Quinn(Ind) asked if the Government was attempting a cover-up on Nama. He said it had been reported in Brussels that the Government had asked Eurostat to treat the Nama debt not as public or government debt.We had had a tripling of our public sector debt in recent years.

“If they get away with it, it would say that the debt is no longer public or government debt . . . and therefore we have much more ease at reaching the figures that we are supposed to reach. It seems very much like a cover-up.”