Howlin: FF never objected to delay in signing severance laws
The Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin is defending a delay in signing legislation that allowed Alan Shatter avail of a severance payment.
Mr Howlin has addressed the Dáil for the first time on the issue of the legislation banning severance payments, signed by the President in early April, but not commenced by Mr Howlin until after the former Justice Minister resigned.
Mr Shatter took the payment despite political pressure on him not to do so, and donated it to charity.
Minister Howlin says he signaled his intentions not to bring the act into force until July with all parties, and he "never heard about it in objection" from Fianna Fáil.
