Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome amendment No. 115. Fraud and dishonesty are huge issues in society. We have seen in recent years how greed and dishonesty among a group of members of the legal profession, particularly during the Celtic tiger years, led to major damage. It is not just in the legal profession; we have also seen it in politics, business and the church. We need amendments such as this to ensure there is public confidence in the professions, and in this case in the legal profession. Recently, many senior citizens in particular have expressed concern to me about the issue and whether they can have trust and confidence in the legal profession after some of the cases that have arisen. It is important when discussing amendment No. 115 that we also send a broader message to the legal profession with regard to the people who have let it down in the past. There had been very few negative or bad cases for 40 or 50 years but recently there has been a string of cases. My point is that the legal profession - the amendment adds to this - must earn the trust and respect of the population. One does not just get respect; one must earn it. Subsections (a), (b) and (c) deal with these issues.
Action must be taken to deal with this, because we all suffer the consequences. All citizens want a legal profession that is up-front, professional and impartial. Happily, the majority of people in the profession are doing an excellent job, but we must ensure that cases to which amendment No. 115 relates are dealt with in a professional, independent and impartial way.