Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

I fully accept that and we spoke about that earlier. I am glad the Minister of State is here but they are the heavy hitters we are told about all the time. I also welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes. Much was expected of the Mahon tribunal. However, it sat for an eternity, made millionaires out of many barristers and produced a huge final report that would take weeks to read. With the exception of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, who is doing a decent job, the Ministers with responsibility for this matter are not making any real efforts to respond to the report. I do not trust the Ministers for the Environment, Community and Local Government and Justice and Equality, Deputies Hogan and Shatter, respectively. They live on a different planet from us mere mortals and are not interested in dealing with ordinary people. The cosy cartels continue to exist in the courts, politics and some levels of the Garda Síochána. What goes on every day in the Commercial and High Courts is sickening and outrageous. Members of the Judiciary - I will not refer to anyone by name in case the Acting Chairman is worried - may select cases. I receive a constant flow of people in my office who cannot secure justice or people to represent. Even solicitors are being bullied and threatened.

Not one banker, regulator or senior politician has been arraigned for what took place when this country was plundered, raped and brought to its knees. Ordinary citizens are being pilloried and criminalised for minor crimes for which I accept they should be punished. The rich and powerful get away with it, however. Fine Gael has tents, caravans and God knows what else for raising funds. Having promised to get rid of this type of fund raising, it has failed to do so. What we have instead is the Minister, "Big Phil the Enforcer", bulldozing through a household charge, which I will pay, a septic tank charge, which is completely wrong and discriminates against rural dwellers, and many other matters. He will not meet county councillors in Tipperary, not to speak of an independent and a Labour Party councillor in County Wicklow who are alleging corruption. He states the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, must meet them.

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, tells us that debtors will only have to sell wedding rings which are worth more than €200,000. On which planet does he live? Where are these people who have wedding rings worth €200,000? How can the Ministers empathise, understand or send out a signal that they are interested in having transparent, open and honest Government? The corruption and big cartels continue and the Ministers will not engage or listen. As I stated this morning, the blueshirts are still in business and they want to make mere mortals lie down. They will not get away with it because it behoves all of us to stand up for ordinary people who have been wronged and treated as blackguards. It is the taxpayers who pay for the tribunals and must provide €50 million to meet the costs of a High Court case brought against Wicklow County Council. One cannot simply sign cheques for this, that and the other; full accountability and transparency are required. We were promised the bondholders would be burned and hellfire would not be hot enough for them, yet we are still on the same merry-go-round, with the same senior officials still in place and exercising their permanent grip on government.

While some decent members of the Government parties want to do their best, they are being thwarted by fellows who know how to talk to Michael Fingleton, how to get a soft, interest-only loan of €800,000 or €900,000 and how to get money at race meetings. They will condemn all those who challenge them or refuse to apologise for using unspeakable language to a lady in County Kerry. These people are not fit for Government or power. The Minister, Deputy Shatter-----

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