Dublin Airport Authority needs to answer questions before the Public Accounts Committee – Boland

Representatives from Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) need to be brought before the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC) following reports of a settlement close to €1 million with its Chief Executive, Kenny Jacobs, a Fine Gael TD has said. 

Dublin Fingal West Deputy Grace Boland said, “This is not about re-litigating a workplace dispute – it is about governance and accountability. DAA is a 100% State-owned entity.

“A reported €1 million settlement, well above what the Workplace Relations Commission would ordinarily award, requires Ministerial sanction and ultimately involves public money. The PAC has a duty to ensure that such a significant expenditure represents value for money for the taxpayer.”

Deputy Boland has highlighted three key areas for scrutiny: governance, value for money and precedent risk. “I want to know whether the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies and the Public Spending Code were fully applied in the approval of the settlement, why the settlement sum appears to exceed employment law norms and whether the State faced higher potential liabilities if the matter proceeded through the courts and the risk that such a settlement sets a precedent for other semi-State bodies, exposing the taxpayer to further large claims in the future.

“The Public Accounts Committee has consistently examined legal and settlement costs across the public sector. Where State bodies incur major liabilities, particularly where they go beyond normal entitlements, it is essential that PAC be satisfied that proper governance, Ministerial oversight and value for money considerations have been met.

“This case has raised serious public concern. Transparency is the best safeguard of public trust. That is why I believe DAA, and the Department of Transport as shareholder, must come before PAC to account for this settlement and to ensure lessons are learned for the future governance of all commercial State bodies,” Deputy Boland concluded.