Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Then what has happened in this regard does a disservice to the unions, because I believe SIPTU does great work, as well as with regard to how taxpayers' money is spent. Moreover, there still is a vacuum here in respect of unanswered questions. We did not have the critical part of the report, which is the Grant Thornton report, or the main key players involved, including Mr. Merrigan in particular. We really are at a loss as to how this was allowed to continue and as to the process by which it continued over many years. However a great number of people benefited significantly out of the fund in terms of personal travel and travel abroad and this does a disservice to the ordinary union member, to the taxpayer and the ordinary person. It is a sad day.