Consumer body position of Hobbs to be left vacant

A DECISION will not be made on reappointing or replacing financial consultant Eddie Hobbs on the National Consumer Agency (NCA) board until later this year when legislation is passed to merge the agency with the Competition Authority, a spokesman for Minister for Enterprise Mary Coughlan said yesterday.

Mr Hobbs offered his resignation at a board meeting of the consumer watchdog in late February and said yesterday it was because the agency was being “hammered and hamstrung” by the controversy over the presence of Celia Larkin on the board.

Ms Larkin, a former partner of the former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, was appointed when Mr Ahern was in office.

Under the Act governing the NCA, two members of the board must resign on May 1st and are typically reappointed.

Mr Hobbs said he had resigned from the board because of “mounting concern” about the damage being done to the reputation of the “badly-needed fledgling” agency.

“Its core asset is trust and . . . that’s why this issue is important.” He said the “the straw that broke the camel’s back” came in March with The Irish Times report on the fast-tracking of a €40,000 loan to Ms Larkin from Irish Nationwide.

Mr Hobbs said he was not the only board member to be concerned about Ms Larkin’s presence on the board.

A NCA spokeswoman said the agency would be making no comment.

Ms Larkin declined to comment on the matter yesterday.