‘Kerins should resign’
Call for chief of Rehab to quit after Flannery exit
PRESSURE was last night mounting on Rehab boss Angela Kerins to follow Frank Flannery’s decision to resign from his director role at the embattled charity.
One Opposition TD called for her to quit while another has said her position may become ‘ an issue’ in the near future.
Independent TD Richard Boyd Barrett last night said she should quit over her handling of the crisis at Rehab. Another TD, who asked not to be named, said that while it might be premature for her to resign before her next appearance at the Public Accounts Committee, her position ‘could well become an issue in the coming weeks’.
A spokesman for Mrs Kerins – whose €240,000 salary has been heavily criticised – was last night unavailable to take calls or texts. But there is a growing feeling now that Mr Flannery’s resignation makes her own position untenable.
Mr Boyd Barrett said last night: ‘I think Angela Kerins should resign. Considering the amount of money people like her pay themselves and what their job entails, the way she has handled this crisis and the way it has helped damage the reputation of the whole charity sector is something she needs to take responsibility for.’
And despite his resignation, members of the PAC insisted last night that Mr Flannery should still appear
‘She needs to take responsibility’
before the spending watchdog. The charity has until Thursday to answer a string of questions and provide information about a number of issues. One of these is about the consultancy work Mr Flannery undertook for the Rehab Group. The questions follow the February 27 PAC appearance by Mrs Kerins, which some TDs said was unsatisfactory.
Mr Flannery resigned his role at Rehab as well as his position as Fine Gael’s director of local elections after bowing to political pressure over his Rehab role and outstanding questions about payments he received. The move also came just hours after Education Minister Ruairi Quinn admitted he ‘bumped into’ Mr Flannery outside his Leinster House offices and they discussed Rehab-related issues.
The admission – on RTÉ Radio 1’s Today With Seán O’Rourke programme yesterday – came amid growing speculation about whether or not Mr Flannery was paid to lobby Government ministers on Rehab’s behalf. Any hopes his resignation might have somehow deflected attention away him and reduced the need for him to appear before the PAC faded last night. Taoiseach Enda Kenny said: ‘If he were to get an invite from the PAC, he should cooperate with that committee as everybody else should as well.’
And committee chairman John McGuinness TD said: ‘The evidence that Frank Flannery can give will be central to the examination of the PAC, which commenced on 27 February when the CEO of Rehab and her senior colleagues gave evidence to the Committee. It was clear during that meeting that the witnesses present were not in a position to fully answer the questions of the members and, therefore, a second opportunity will be available to Rehab to answer questions on areas such as remuneration.’
Fellow PAC member Simon Harris TD added: ‘It will be very helpful if he does turn up... Regardless of decision, he does still need to attend.’
A formal invitation for Mr Flannery to attend the PAC is currently being drawn up and he is due to receive it by Thursday.
A statement f rom the Rehab Group Board last night thanked Mr Flannery for his years of service.