John Crown (Independent)

Over the past year there has been intermittent but considerable outrage at the issue of the personal assets of people who are in debt to NAMA and in turn to the same Irish taxpayer whose health and social services are being depleted to meet the terms of our external financial requirements. It appears that has been a policy of individuals attempting to hide their wealth by transferring it to the names of family members to maintain their family homes at a time when they are in substantial debt to the State. Understandably people feel very aggrieved about this.

What is apparently unrelated, but what I believe is a related issue, is that it is reported in today's Irish Independent that very substantial donations, which were heretofore not disclosed, have been made to major political parties in the State. On the basis of this morning's relatively superficial perusal of it I can identify at least two and I believe three companies which are now in NAMA which made donations to political parties. As a result they are co-culprits in the economic demise of the country and they are a drain on our country's resources and social services. I am sorry we do not have the capacity to get a large quorum of turkeys to vote for Christmas but my belief is that we need a policy of a complete ban on all corporate donations-----