Green Party call for a 'cooling-off period' for Council management

Press Release: Environment 11 April 2006

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Dún Laoghaire, Environment and Justice Press Releases

Green Party reiterates call for a 'cooling-off period' for Council management team members

The Green Party is reiterating its call for a 'cooling-off period' of two years for Council management team members after it emerged today that another member of the management team in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Council is due to head for the private sector.

Eamon O'Hare, the Director of Traffic with Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council is understood to be leaving to take up a position with Ballymore Homes. Ballymore paid the late Liam Lawlor TD tens of thousands of pounds in the mid 1990's, as revealed last year by the Flood Tribunal.

Green Party Environment spokesperson, Ciarán Cuffe TD said today that, "I believe that it is now time to put in place a significant 'cooling-off' period into local authority contracts so that managers don't head for the private sector at little or no notice.

"It is also time that the Government published a Code of Conduct for Local Authority Managers and staff that would cover this situation. Several County Managers and senior staff have moved into the private sector in recent years.

"The former Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Manager Derek Brady is now a consultant with Alburn Limited, a controversial company associated with the developer Noel Smyth. Alburn Limited was given permission by Mr. Brady for a 24-storey development in the Sandyford Industrial Estate. The decision is now under appeal to An Bord Pleanála.

"Similarly the former South Dublin County Manager Frank Kavanagh was working with Jim Mansfield, the controversial property developer, within days of his retirement from his local authority job. Jim Mansfield's company has a chequered record of compliance with the planning authorities.

"Meanwhile former Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Planner Willie Murray went on to work with the Dun Laoghaire Light Rail Company – a consortium of companies that are trying to have the Luas extended to Cherrywood in south Dublin.

"There is no evidence that individuals have broken the law in doing what they did, but there is a clear need to provide regulation in this area. No Residents Association or Community Group could ever afford the kind of consultancy fees that these individuals are probably charging. This means that private developers are receiving advice that residents cannot get. Knowledge is power, and some of the major players are getting access to knowledge that the public could never afford.

"Although the City and County Managers Association are apparently in discussion with the Department of the Environment over this issue, there appears to have been no progress in bringing forward regulations to cover this area.

"There is nothing wrong with the principle of movement between the public and private sector. However, if there is any perception that public servants might have the inside track, then we need rules to oversee this area. At the very least a Register of Interests must be put in place so that we know who these people are working for.

"In the UK David Blunkett resigned for failing to clear his consultancy work with the appropriate body. In Ireland any public official can swap sides of the desk at the drop of a hat. This does little to boost public confidence in the institution of local government," concluded Deputy Cuffe.

Ciarán Cuffe is a TD for the Dún Laoghaire Dáil Constituency. Ciarán can be contacted at Dáil Éireann, Kildare Street, Dublin 2 or 96 Patrick Street, Dún Laoghaire Tel. 284 6060 or 618 3082, Fax 618 4341, Email Ciaran CiaranCuffe.com, or Text Ciaran on 087 265 2075.