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CEANN COMHAIRLE SEÁN Ó Fearghaíl has apologised to Angela Kerins over her treatment by members of the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Speaking to Sharon Ni Bheoláin on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics programme, Ó Fearghaíl said the recent Supreme Court judgement in relation to the questioning of the former Rehab CEO was “a watershed” moment for the Dáil.
In March the Supreme Court ruled the PAC acted unlawfully in its questioning.
“There has been much commentary outside about the chilling impact the Kerins judgement might have on the Oireachtas,” said Ó Fearghaíl.
The only thing I feel is chilling is the Supreme Court found that a committee in the last Dáil had effectively broken the law, had trampled on the rights of Ms Kerins, and that to me is chilling and I would personally apologise to Ms Kerins for the fact that happened.
He said there is a determination to ensure that this type of situation will not happen again.
The Ceann Comhairle said there has to be an agreed protocol around how to deal with witnesses so that committees are “robustly questioning” them, but respecting them at the same time.
He also said the Dáil will be looking at streamlining how committees function to avoid “excessive duplication”.
“The idea of witnesses coming before two or three committees is patently ridiculous.”
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Right and Rehab didn’t exactly come out if this glowing either. Charity money was used to subsidize huge salaries and destroying that’s left if people’s good will towards charity.
@Daithi Ó Raghallaigh: the lengths that woman has gone to with her sobbing and wailing.. It was suppose to be a CHARITY.. IE Rehab. Not a coffin
Manufacturer… What was the point of pac if they couldn’t ask the hard questions as to what was the publics money being spent..
@Daithi Ó Raghallaigh: the sheer weight of
Self entitlement from her and as we witnessed
Recently is vomit inducing..
@Victor Feldman: she’s a joke. I cannot stand this woman.
@Victor Feldman: The PAC has no right to operate as a kangaroo court which is exactly what they did in this case. Also the public wisely chose not to give the Oireachtas committees the power that you mention in 2011. Politicians cannot be trusted to conduct full inquires, full stop.
@Paddy J: I found the salary she was commanding to be extraordinary and there were legitimate concerns. But you’re right. Politicians use committees to grandstand and showboat at the expense of those appearing before them and sometimes it appears that finding the truth is secondary to an image TDs want to portray.
Personally found nothing wrong with how she was questioned! Her salary was outrageous and us taxpayers were paying her through subsidies from the Government!
@John Kelly: She fully deserved it.
@David Corrigan:
And we the taxpayers are going to pay for now.
@MaryLou Silvester-Carr: Her salary and her donations to her parents as well. Bloody parasite.
I’ve read it all now!
Grandstanding populists losing the run of themselves.
@Clifford Brennan: They should apologise individually for their obnoxious behaviour. Will they???
@For Goodness Sake: they should apologise for nothing. The full accountancy plus the renumeration of all these charities and their CEOs etc should be all out in the public sphere if they wish to avail of public monies.
@Sega Yolo: but as a court of law determined, that was not their remit nor the reason she was called as a witness. They acted so unprofessional that they compromised any and all subsequently investigations into the remuneration, all for some soundbites on the news
@Vocal Outrage: Slavery was also legal at a point in time, that still didn’t make it right. Greed of the CEOs in these charities has caused people to stop donating. Might have been legal, but it certainly wasn’t morally right.
@Cal Mooney: charities no thanks! I would never give them money when you see the likes of her and how the rest of them used the charities to live very high lifestyles. It makes me sick to the stomach.
@For Goodness Sake: why? This woman used donations to live a champagne lifestyle. Disgusting that she’s now claiming the moral high ground with her crocodile tears
@For Goodness Sake: Apologies for What? She abused her position, she ran a charity, not a personal bank. It’s the systemically corrupt system that her off the hook. A system that allows people to be held accountable for their actions. A system that allowed two criminal cases of bankers to collapse after the State shredding of documents and inadmissible evidence again by the State. A person who defrauded the welfare system or has not paid their T.V. licence will face the full force of the state, yet when high profile people are questioned concerning their behaviour… an apology is demanded. It’s these paracites have the country in the mess it now finds itself in.
@Donal Desmond: Agreed, its like they’ve waited for the wind to blow and memories of her and her ilk’s corrupt behaviour fades from the minds of people. When will she apologise for using charitable donations to enrich her own lifestyle?
@Donal Desmond: You still miss the key point. The PAC acted illegally. Now we will have to pay for their inability to abide to our laws.
The owe all of us an apology including Angela.
@For Goodness Sake: I agree, for all those complaining about their behaviour they seem more than happy to have politicians spouting soundbites and in the process predjudicing any subsequent criminal, office of corporate enforcement or fraud investigation by those whose job it actually is
@For Goodness Sake: The point is we the electorate returned re elected the same paracites that now demand an apology from the people who questioned her. The circus have just re elected the clowns.
And now she will sue the taxpayer
@Shane Cormican: the circus continues, the politicians eff up, the taxpayer pays, all the FFG supporting gombeens around the country vote the same shower back in.
@Adrian: so which shower fo you recommend we put in ..
@Adrian: this was an all party committee. What would be more appropriate is not to vote any of the members of that disgraced PAC back in at the next GE no matter what party and none that they come from.
The PAC is good for fookall it should be disbanded or given a proper set of teeth.
@Robert Phelan: most Oireachtas committees are. They rarely bring about actual change. Pointless.
@Robert Phelan:
We had a referendum on that, it was heavily defeated.
@Patrick Nolan: did we?
@Alan McArdle: Yes in 2011. The referendum was on the Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2011. It was proposed to basically give power to committees to conduct full inquiries. It was comprehensively rejected as Patrick said by 53.3 to 46.7. Wise move on behalf of the electorate who were warned at the time that the legislation could allow rogue TDs and Senators to conduct witch hunts to suit their own agendas.
Each one of the TDs and Senators on that totally discredited Public Accounts Committee should be personally liable for costs arising from the recent Supreme Court decision.
@Paddy J: cheers, Paddy. That passed me by. I’ll inform myself.
@Patrick Nolan: thanks, Patrick
@Paddy J: I recall reading that as a result of the supreme court decision that the committee acted unlawfully, as opposed to just beyond its remit, that costs might actually be held against its members
@Robert Phelan: We were given that choice in a referendum and it was rejected.
That woman took an extortionate salary plus expenses and now she wants to ride the system bare back again.
Greed and self entitlement are a dangerous combination…
She was caught with her hand in the till.
The only reason that the PAC went in hard on her was that she flatly refused to give information at the start. Other charities such as the CRC were equally brought before the PAC and made full disclosures to the committee. And were treated with much more respect. She has only herself to blame.
What a load of rubbish we the working public donating to charities and the monies going to fatten up salaries of those on the top floor. Discrateful and no apologies need from the PAC.
I wonder what job she is doing now?
These disgraceful gombeen politicians, they’ll pay themselves a kings ransom, but an apology or cheap labour will do for everybody else.
she wasn’t answering questions at the PAC so the mtg went on longer. If she answered when asked there would have been no problem……
Kerins should be in prison end of !!
Big pay off on the way with all the licking going on
The Ceann Comhairle need not apologise on my behalf. Angela Kerins and her cronies sucked the Rehab dry. She had no interest in Rehab but only what she could get out of them.
She got millions while sick and dying children got, what was it €2,400 a year? And we are supposed to now feel sorry for her because when the government actually did their job correctly they somehow offended her? How many families of sick and dying children that she took that money from are offended by her behaviour I wonder? Her actions offend me as a human.
Really really crazy to apologise to this woman, is he taking responsibility now for what they did as that would leave him open to be sued then, if he has the ability to apologise to her???
I have stopped giving to Charity.. full stop !
Why?
It took me all these years to understand the phrase:
“She is a handsome woman indeed.”
Test
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