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Parlon’s CIF appointment raises serious ethical questions E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Dear Editor,

I feel it important to react to the announcement that former PD junior Minister Tom Parlon, who lost his seat at the last election, is taking up a position as Director General of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF). This move demonstrates the necessity for post service restrictions on former government minister and senior civil servants to prevent them unethically utilising knowledge from their public employment to the benefit of the private sector. The concern in this case is that the appointment of Parlon may result in sensitive knowledge garnered from his time in Government being passed on to the CIF. For example the Government refuses to give the public specific information regarding Transport 21 because of the sensitivity of this information in terms of the procurement process. The CIF would benefit greatly from the ‘sensitive’ information that Parlon was party to just a few short weeks ago before the election. This lateral move just seven weeks after Parlon lost his Governmental position is a concern to Sinn Féin.

The influence of the construction industry over the Government has long been a cause of major concern. This is recognised as one of the key factors behind the Government’s failure to tackle the escalation of house prices over the last decade despite the impact these price increases were having on ordinary people trying to buy and now hold onto their homes.

Appointments such as Parlon’s will make the public even more cynical about the nature of relationship between the Government parties and the construction industry and the growth of the culture of ‘Privatisation=Profitisation’.

Sinn Fein is calling for the introduction of post-service restrictions on key personnel within the public sector, including government ministers and senior civil servants, to prevent them unethically utilising knowledge from their public service/employment to the benefit of the private sector. Such restrictions are the norm for many within senior management positions in the private sector to prevent confidential knowledge being passed on to competitors. The public sector and the public welfare must be protected in the same way. The interest of the people should never fall prey to private interest profiteering. The mentality of cashing out of public service for a profitable career in the private sector goes against the ethical definition of public service.

With Mary Harney and the newly formed Government pushing ahead with co-location of private hospitals on public land with tax relief to the builders at the expense of the nation’s exchequer, the concern that the private sector will continue to hold an unbalanced sway over the greater welfare of the people is very real. The scenario developing at the moment may find that the workforce employed to construct these private hospitals will not be of a means level‚ to avail of their services. Sinn Féin is committed to creating accountable and transparent governance for this island for the benefit of the people of this island, not a Government for individuals or select sections of a segregated society. Equality is the word I ask the readers to keep in mind when such developments unfold. Is this the Ireland you wish to build and live in? Are we creating a nation of ‘wage slaves’?

 

Joe Desmond,
Tuam Sinn Fein


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