Parlon ‘had no role in decentralising jobs’

TOM PARLON had no hand, act or part in the decision to decentralise almost 1,000 jobs to his Laois-Offaly constituency, Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy said yesterday.

Completely discrediting the Progressive Democrats TD’s claim that he was personally responsible for delivering the 965 jobs to five towns in the two counties, Mr McCreevy said that as a junior minister, Mr Parlon would not even have been aware of the decision.

To the delight of opposition parties, Mr McCreevy claimed Mr Parlon may have heard about the decentralisation plans, involving 10,300 public service workers, in a pub the night before Budget 2004.

“Deputy Parlon had no hand, act or part in it. He wasn’t involved in decision making. He wasn’t involved in the preparation. He knew absolutely nothing about it and he was as wise as everyone else, only he was quicker off the blocks than everybody else and that’s the truth of that matter there,” Mr McCreevy said.

This totally contradicts Mr Parlon’s version of events, as he claimed he knew details of the plan ahead of the presentation of the Budget.

As reported in the Irish Examiner, just hours after Mr McCreevy finished his Budget speech, Mr Parlon had leaflets entitled ‘Parlon Delivers’ distributed in his constituency as he claimed personal credit for the largest slice of the civil service cake for any constituency in the country.

Attributing the turf war between PD and Fianna Fáil TDs to claim credit for the decentralisation to creative tensions brought about by multi-seat constituencies politics, Mr McCreevy explained how Mr Parlon was so fast off the starting blocks.

“I understand from sources close to Leinster House that on Tuesday night of last week before the Budget, in a hostelry not far from here, Deputy Parlon happened to fall into some other company and someone cottoned on that there might be something about decentralisation tomorrow and that was the extent of Minister of State Parlon’s knowledge.

“And I say the best of luck to him, if all the deputies in the country were up as early in the morning as Deputy Parlon, then Fianna Fáil would win 98 seats in every general election,” he said.

Fianna Fáil pointed out that Minister for Foreign Affairs Brian Cowen is the only TD in the constituency to sit at the Cabinet table. A spokesperson for Tánaiste Mary Harney denied last week that she had breached Cabinet confidentiality or tipped off Mr Parlon, the Minister of State at the Office of Public Works.

Given that the OPW is centrally involved in the movement of the jobs, it would not be surprising if Mr Parlon was aware of the announcement, the spokesperson said.