Rabbitte is new Tusla chairman

FORMER Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte is making a comeback – as the new head of troubled Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.

The agency was castigated by Judge Peter Charleton in his report on a false claim in a Tusla file alleging child sexual abuse by Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe.

Mr McCabe is now set to recover damages over this after the State admitted liability. Tusla was forced into a humiliating admission of its failures, coupled with an apology, after coming under attack from Minister for Children Katherine Zappone, who announced Mr Rabbitte as chairman yesterday.

The term of office of the current chairwoman, Norah Gibbons, expires at the end of this year.

Mr Rabbitte was Labour leader from 2002 to 2007, and served as Minister for Communications from 2011 to 2014. Ms Zappone said: ‘I am in no doubt Pat Rabbitte has all the qualities necessary to lead Tusla to the next stage of its development.

‘He has provided strategic leadership and delivered significant projects which have benefited the Irish people. These are skills which will help him to lead Tusla into the future and address the many challenges it faces as an organisation.’

As chairwoman, Ms Gibbons got €20,520 a year plus travel and subsistence expenses. Mr Rabbitte is entitled to a yearly TD pension of €43,629, with his ministerial pension in the region of €25,000€30,000 per year. Figures released in 2015 showed the total pension pot for monies payable to Mr Rabbitte is worth €2,046,831. He was contacted for comment yesterday, but could not be reached.