New members of Red Cross approved

Three new members of the Irish Red Cross Society’s governing body were approved by Government today in an effort to restore public confidence.

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter’s nominees to the general assembly (formerly the central council) were former Fine Gael junior minister Mary Flaherty, former Australian ambassador Máirtín O’Fainín, Clonmel mayor and Labour councillor Darren Ryan and he re-appointed Department of Defence principal officer Cathal Duffy.

The nominations represented “a further important step taken by this Government to restoring the full confidence of the public in the society, Mr Shatter said.

The appointments would “copper-fasten the strong impetus for change that now exists within the society itself” Mr Shatter said.

The steps were the “most fundamental” in its history and provided for 21st century corporate governance, he said.

The nominations follow approval last month of a Government order affecting a new governance structure and under which it can nominate up to 10 per cent of the general assembly.

The nominees were “another very important step in the process of change and renewal,” society chairman David O’Callaghan said.

In January senior officials from the society rejected claims of financial irregularities before the Public Accounts Committee.

Mr O’Callaghan had expressed disappointment to the committee about the allegations that had been made. These included a claim that money was diverted from the Haiti appeal of two years ago to other uses, a claim that the society was misrepresenting its assets or that there were irregularities in its accounts.