Politicians ‘must wait’ for private sector jobs

POLITICIANS and civil servants should be made to wait for a set period before taking up employment with a firm which could benefit from internal Government knowledge, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said.

“It is unacceptable for a politician, political adviser, civil servant or agent of any agency to go out the door on a Friday having left a job and take up another job a week later, having replied to an advertisement or been head-hunted, because the person is then on the other side perhaps dealing with a file about which he or she knows all about because he or she has actually written it,” said Mr Ahern.

Responding to questions from Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins on the ethical issues involved in staff leaving Government circles for immediate private sector contracts, Mr Ahern for the first time said he would like to clamp down on the practice.