Calls for DAA to face PAC over reported €1m settlement with chief executive

A Dublin Fine Gael TD has called for Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) to be brought before the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC) after reports emerged of a settlement close to €1 million with its chief executive, Kenny Jacobs.

Dublin Fingal West Deputy Grace Boland said the case raised “serious public concern” and must be scrutinised to protect public trust in how State-owned companies are run.

She insisted this was not about re-litigating an internal workplace dispute, but about ensuring “governance and accountability” within the DAA, which is a 100 per cent State-owned entity.

“A reported €1 million settlement, well above what the Workplace Relations Commission would ordinarily award, requires Ministerial sanction and ultimately involves public money,” Deputy Boland said.

“The PAC has a duty to ensure that such a significant expenditure represents value for money for the taxpayer.”

Boland said she is seeking answers on three key areas — governance, value for money and the risk of setting a costly precedent for other semi-State bodies.

She said it must be made clear whether the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies and the Public Spending Code were properly applied when the settlement was approved.

“I want to know why the settlement sum appears to exceed employment law norms, and whether the State faced higher potential liabilities if the matter proceeded through the courts,” she said.

“We also need to consider the risk that such a settlement sets a precedent for other semi-State bodies, exposing the taxpayer to further large claims in the future.”

The Fine Gael TD said the PAC has consistently examined legal and settlement costs across the public sector, and warned that it is vital for accountability that all major liabilities incurred by State bodies are carefully examined.

“Where State bodies incur major liabilities, particularly where they go beyond normal entitlements, it is essential that PAC be satisfied that proper governance, Ministerial oversight and value for money considerations have been met,” she said.

Boland added that while workplace disputes can arise in any organisation, transparency and oversight are crucial when public funds are involved.

She warned that settlements of this scale could undermine public confidence in how commercial State bodies are managed unless they are clearly justified and fully explained.

“This case has raised serious public concern,” she said.

“Transparency is the best safeguard of public trust. That is why I believe DAA, and the Department of Transport as shareholder, must come before PAC to account for this settlement and to ensure lessons are learned for the future governance of all commercial State bodies.”

Boland’s intervention increases pressure on both the DAA and the Department of Transport to explain the circumstances behind the reported settlement and to outline the steps taken to protect public funds.

She said taxpayers are entitled to full clarity on how and why decisions involving such large sums are made, and stressed that strong oversight is needed to maintain public trust in State-run companies.