Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

Mr. Carswell's opening statement tells us, "There are examples of politicians and public representatives getting involved in land speculation deals, building projects and property investments, in one notable case, in partnership with a major figure from banking, while continuing to serve as public representatives, right up to and during the economic crisis." Is it Mr. Carswell's view that this nexus of public representatives and land speculation deals would have had a decisive influence in allowing laxity in regulation and the type of legislation that might have been put through Parliament? Would such decisions be influenced by this type of relationship?