Senator Brendan Ryan last night defended Ms Adi Roche against criticism of her treatment of FAS staff and said Aras saying he believed she would make an excellent president.
"Adi Roche may have made comments about one or two individuals, but she certainly doesn't see FAS workers as second-class employees. I have heard her singing the praises of FAS workers in the office," he said.
Mr Ryan said that while he accepted those criticising Ms Roche felt aggrieved and that they were not politically motivated, conflict was part of the dynamic of all organisations, particularly voluntary ones.
"As the member of the Oireachtas probably most closely associated with a voluntary organisation, in that I built my political career on my involvement with Simon, I'm well aware of how voluntary organisations can suffer from disagreements.
"You can have disagreements between paid and voluntary staff, between people heading up the organisation and others who feel they are power-hungry. We often had roaring and shouting in Simon, and I know some people believe I behaved badly at times."