Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)

I move amendment No. 20:

In page 13, between lines 39 and 40, to insert the following:

"(2) Section 26(2)(b) of the Act of 1997 is amended by deleting the words "Trade Union".".

The point of this amendment is that for the purposes of making political donations, a trade union should not be considered as a corporation in the same way, for example, as a major bank, a major multinational corporation or a private company which will make donations to political parties from its profits. A trade union is a different entity being made up of thousands and, in some cases, tens of thousands of ordinary members who might want to make contributions through their union towards a political purpose or a particular political party. Subject to its democratic procedures, a trade union should be treated distinctly from a decision by a board of well heeled capitalists to make a donation which is largely for the purpose of affecting policy on behalf of a corporate minority, whereas trade unions, in general, represent ordinary working class people, workers who do not in any sense have the same clout or access to the political establishment as the major corporations through their lobbying and the various means by which they can influence policy, apart from the fact that many of the establishment political parties in the State are ideologically at one with the thinking of the big business elite. In that regard, in fairness to workers and to allow for more alternative voices in opposition to, for example, the austerity policies of the Government and its predecessor, an exception should be made.

Unfortunately, I was taken short on amendment No. 7 owing to some confusion. I cannot go back to it, but I wonder why the Minister would not agree that Oireachtas Members should be able to donate to their own party up to the current limit, considering that the limits on donations from corporations, etc. were to ensure there would not be a danger of corruption. However, that would not arise where an Oireachtas Member wanted to donate a larger amount to his or her party. There are no implications in terms of there being a conflict of interest or anything like it. I know we have passed amendment No. 7, but I would be interested to hear the Minister explain, perhaps in one sentence, the reason he would not agree to this.

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