Labour accuses Hogan of breaking rules on state board appointments

Labour has accused Environment Minister Phil Hogan of breaking new rules on appointments to state boards by expecting Dáil committees to “rubber stamp” his favoured candidates for top jobs.

A sharply worded official letter of complaint regarding the minister’s behaviour has been fired off by Ciarán Lynch, chairman of the influential Oireachtas committee which acts as watchdog to Mr Hogan’s department.

The rebuke expresses the committee’s unhappiness over the handling of the appointments of Laura Burke as director general of the Environmental Protection Agency in Nov 2011, and John Tierney as chairman of the Dublin Dockland’s Development Authority in Jun 2012.

The letter to the department’s secretary general states: “The committee has noted that it is supposed to be notified of these appointments before they actually take effect, and not afterwards, and that these are the second and third occasions on which it and the previous joint committee on the environment, transport, culture and the Gaeltacht have been notified to an appointment subsequent to an appointment.

“The committee sees no value in engaging in what is in effect a post-appointment exercise and has agreed to inform your department of this and to express its concern that your department is not following the Government decision in this regard.”

Mr Hogan’s handling of the situation has provoked a Coalition bust-up, with a senior Labour source saying: “Committees will not act as rubber stamps in this way.”

Committee chairman and Cork TD Mr Lynch said: “The new Government put in place a protocol regarding appointment to state boards that committees should engage with that process prior to appointment.

“A committee cannot refuse an appointment, but it can make a recommendation or judgment call if it has concerns about an individual’s attitudes, background, etc.

“We are unhappy with the way the minister has behaved regarding these appointments and have expressed those concerns to the department — the Government must comply with the processes in place.

“Committees are not submissive to ministers.”

Mr Hogan’s spokesman said the two appointments referred to involved “special circumstances”.