Fine Gael has called for the Taoiseach to make "a full and frank disclosure" as to what groups or individuals lobbied him prior to the appointment of the new Cabinet and to what degree it influenced his decisions on those appointments.
The party has also called for a moratorium on the appointment of people to State boards, or semi-state bodies in the period between the calling of an election and creation of a new government following that election.
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Mr Enda Kenny
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Speaking on RTÉ’s
Morning Ireland
today, the party leader Mr Enda Kenny said he believed comments the Taoiseach made yesterday in respect of the cabinet appointments indicated lobby groups had successfully influenced him in changing his mind on several appointments.
Of particular concern, Mr Kenny said, was the decision to include Mr Joe Walsh as Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development and Mr Michael Smith as Minister for Defence in the Cabinet.
"It appears from reports as if the Taoiseach himself...had intended not to reappoint both Ministers," Mr Kenny said, "and it is as a consequence of the lobbying either from membership organisations or from big business that both of these were put back into the Cabinet."
The Taoiseach, he said, should make a public statement as to what people lobbied him, what interests they had in the appointment of individual ministers, and what kind of business influence these people have over him.
"These are very serious matters and the Taoiseach’s comments yesterday to the effect that he didn’t change very much from where he wanted to go raises more questions than they answered," Mr Kenny added.
"In the interests of...this Government, he needs to answer these questions.
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"It is very discouraging that the commencement of a new Cabinet of a new Government should be clouded over by issues like these."
Mr Kenny also criticised the number of appointments made to the boards of state companies in the period between the calling of the General Election and the establishment of the new government.
He was responding to demands for the establishment of an independent appointments commission as details emerged of almost 60 appointments to semi-state organisations by five departing Government Ministers.
Ministers Mr John O'Donoghue, Mr Dermot Ahern, and Mr Noel Demspey, along with former Ministers Mrs Mary O'Rourke and Mr Frank Fahey made the last-minute appointments. Those appointed include former Ministers Mr David Andrews, Mr Michael O'Kennedy, Mr Gene Fitzgerald and former Senator Mr Tom Fitzgerald.
Arguing that the creation of an independent appointment board was required in order to get away from a culture of "cronyism", Mr Kenny said Fine Gael would be pushing for a moratorium on appointments to semi-state boards between the calling of an election and the establishment of a new government
However, Mr Dermort Ahern, the newly appointed Minister for Communications and Natural Resources, dismissed Mr Kenny’s statements and said they were an insult to people that were willing to come forward and offer their expertise to semi-state companies, without any compensation.