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Taoiseach stands by his man Perry

TAOISEACH Enda Kenny is standing by his latest minister to be embroiled in legal proceedings.

Mr Kenny said Small Business Minister John Perry "settled whatever the problem was" before it went to court -- but he has not spoken to the minister about the matter.

According to today's Irish Independent, Mr Perry has only settled the matters this year, with the legacy of his private business affairs crossing over with his period as a minister.

The Taoiseach's officials were in touch with Mr Perry's officials about his business affairs.

Following on from Health Minister James Reilly being listed as a debt defaulter, the Irish Independent revealed last weekend that Mr Perry was embroiled in a court action over a disputed €1.3m debt.

Last Friday, Mr Perry settled an action with Hilary Burke, a Galway widow, over the alleged failure to pay a €1.3m debt relating to the lease of a hotel.

It is understood the dispute related to a leasing agreement in respect of the Coach House Hotel in Ballymote, Co Sligo.

The case came before the Master's court where the parties settled the action before it was assigned for hearing by a High Court judge.

Details

And another report of a court settlement by Mr Perry emerged this week. Electricity provider Airtricity refused to provide details of their dealings with the minister as it would only confirm his "accounts with the company are fully settled and up to date".

Mr Perry said there are no "monies owed" to Airtricity.

"The matter has been resolved, struck out and file closed. As Mr Perry has divested his business interests for a considerable length of time, he had no direct involvement in this matter at any point," his office said in a statement to the Irish Independent.

But in a statement Mr Perry's office provided from Airtricity, the company confirmed the account was only settled "earlier this year".

Mr Kenny rejected comparisons with Dr Reilly's statement in the wake of his listing in 'Stubbs Gazette' and declined to say if he would be asking Mr Perry to make a full statement on the matter.

"As I understand it, that matter was dealt with before the court and has been satisfactorily resolved," he said.

According to media reports, Mr Perry was the subject of proceedings brought by Airtricity over a disputed debt of €13,386, which resulted in a settlement reached in June 2011, the reports said.