State jobs for Minister's family members queried

A FINE Gael TD has questioned the appropriateness of Government Ministers appointing family members to State jobs.

Fergus O'Dowd (FG, Louth) claimed that a Minister of State had five special adviser jobs to which he appointed four family members.

But it emerged that the TD in question, Minister of State for housing Michael Finneran, did not have any special advisers but employed his wife, who previously worked as his constituency secretary, as a personal secretary and his brother as a civilian driver.

His brother had broken his leg and was replaced as driver for a number of weeks by his daughter and subsequently by his son.

Mr O'Dowd raised the issue in the Dáil after the Order paper, which lists documents laid before the House, cited Mr Finneran's statement of appointments.

Ministers are required under Ethics in Public Office legislation to specify appointments they have made and to state whether or not the appointees are relatives.

Mr Finneran was in the chamber when the TD raised the issue, but under the standing orders of the Dáil, he was not permitted to respond.

Mr O'Dowd asked if it was appropriate for a Minister to appoint four family members, his wife, brother, son and daughter, as "special advisers".

Ceann Comhairle John O'Donoghue ruled him out of order.

However, Mr O'Dowd asked "is it right and proper that should happen when we will have unemployment of over 325,000 next year and when one person loses their job in this country every three minutes?"

Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan, who was taking the Order of Business, said he had not sanctioned four special advisers for any Minister of State.