The potential for conflicts of interest to arise from Government plans to use staff from corporate law and accountancy firms during Ireland’s European Union presidency has been downplayed by Tánaiste Simon Harris.
Last weekend The Irish Times reported that two Government departments – Enterprise and Climate – are set to temporarily take on private sector staff to provide expertise during the presidency in the second half of 2026.
Harris was asked about the matter by Labour Party TD Ged Nash during an appearance at the Oireachtas finance committee.
Nash said he has no difficulty with the plans, while expressing disappointment that “the expertise doesn’t appear to exist within Government departments”.
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He asked what work was being done “to guard against any potential conflicts of interest” as there could potentially be skilled staff coming in from outside and later going back to firms that would be actively “touting for consultancy work” with departments.
Harris responded saying that anybody who comes in to work in the public service or who does so for a period of time “will obviously be bound by the likes of the Official Secrets Act, by the code of standards that’s a part of that.”
He said there are “well established conflict of interest procedures”.
Harris also insisted there is “very significant expertise in the Department of Finances” while saying, “we are beefing up our own position”.
He said there are an additional 26 posts allocated in the department for the EU presidency and “we’re utilising, in the first instance, the skills that exist”.
“We’re also bringing in – you’ll see this across the system – a range of bright, enthusiastic people to work, for the first time perhaps as graduates ... So it’s to supplement the expertise that exists,” he said.
Separately, Harris also spoke of his plans to develop a new savings and investment account scheme that “incentivises people who are setting aside money”.
He said it should be “capped at a certain level” and “this is genuinely not a scheme about the uber-wealthy. They’re able to look after themselves”.
“This is about trying to help people who either have a tradition of saving small amounts, but realise it’s not making much money for them, or actually getting new people to begin to save and invest.”
He also told TDs that credit unions are “eager” to get involved and this point was made to him during a visit to one in Cork last week.
Harris said: “They have a lot of money on deposits.”
“I met a grandmother, Mary, who comes in every Friday and puts €5 in each of the credit union accounts for each of her five grandkids. She’s been doing that since each were born, and she builds up the savings and gives it to them on their 18th birthday.
“I’d say there’s many, many Marys across the country who are trying to do the right thing for their kids and their grandkids and we’ve got to help them make that money work for them so we’d like the credit unions to be a part of it.”
