Caít Keane (Fine Gael)

There probably is not one of us, as politicians, who would not like to see all types of political donation banned, if this were possible. The first thing we have to do when we get rid of one source of funding is to identify a second source of funding. That is the reason for the Moriarty tribunal. We should look at how things are funded in other countries, sometimes from the national purse. If we are going to ban all types of funding for politics - and I agree with this totally - it would make life so much easier for every politician if there was a central purse to draw on, but how do we obtain that central purse? We would have to go out and ask the people to fund politics. I do not know how many people out there would be ready to fund politicians. I suspect it would be very few.

The other question is what would happen if we banned corporate donations totally. This debate has been around for a long time, and it has been said - I do not know how true it is, and I would not attribute it to anybody - that people will always find a way around it. The best thing is to have regulations, such as those the Minister has introduced, to ensure that corporate donations are as transparent as can be provided for and that any money provided outside those regulations is illegal. Unless there is some type of regulation for corporate funding, we could end up with a free-for-all. Banning is one thing, but there are people out there who are ready and able and willing every day to try to circumvent any type of legislation that is brought in. The Minister has tried his best. The substantial reduction in donations that is provided for in this Bill must be acknowledged, as well as the substantial reduction in the moneys that must be disclosed. We will have to crawl before we walk. I would like to see a full ban, but I have come to recognise that if we ban donations, there will be no regulations. This is a better way to do it. As I said, it would make it an awful lot easier for politicians if donations were totally banned.

In these amendments, we have one Senator saying corporate donations should come down to €1 and another saying they should come down to €100, while a third says they should be banned. There is not total agreement on how it should be done, which shows there is some debate on the matter. However, this is the best way to go at the moment. We will have regulations for corporate donations, which involve a substantial reduction in the amounts that can be given. I thank the Minister for introducing this Bill.