Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Labour)

One can only wonder if they still stand over the statements they made prior to publication of that report or during the investigation. The inquiries to which this motion refers was a political act by former Minister, Mr. Gormley which was, I believe, designed to cause damage to Labour and Fine Gael in an effort to throw up political smoke in the defence of the Green Party's then coalition partner, Fianna Fáil. Former Minister Gormley did little, if anything, to advance those inquiries and did not allocate one cent towards them. Even after he was replaced by Deputy Eamon Ó Cuív, no effort was made to advance the process. Yet Fianna Fáil now wishes to cry foul on this issue. Deputy Willie Penrose dealt with this matter when he took office, having had to take account at the time of the dire fiscal restraints placed on the Government as a consequence of the ruination visited on the economy by the outgoing Fianna Fáil Government. He initiated a full internal review of the complaints with a view to determining what further actions would be required. The Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, has published the review and taken into account all actions required. All of this was known before Fianna Fáil placed the motion before the House, yet it still engaged in what can be best described as a waste of the House's time for political point scoring.

If Fianna Fáil members have information on planning corruption in local authorities I ask them please to report it to the Garda Síochána. I am aware they failed to do so in the past when it concerned members of the party but such a course of action would be a first and important step in the recovery of the honour of the political party.

Fianna Fáil has attempted to cast aspersions on the Labour Party in this respect but we have an honourable record in local authorities, and the only mentions of the Labour Party in the Mahon report concern a member whom the party removed and expelled immediately; the efforts of our deputy leader, the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, to raise concerns about planning corruption; and acknowledgement that the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, returned a cheque.

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