Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)

What this legislation proposes is inadequate from the point of view of ordinary working people and taxpayers. The members of the proposed commission of investigation will be the creatures of Ministers who will control the process from beginning to end. The commission is to be established by the Government but based on the proposals of a Minister with the approval of the Minister for Finance. The terms of reference of the commission are to be set by the Government or the Minister and the members of the commission will be appointed by the specified Minister. This is most unsatisfactory. What about a case where grave public concern exists about the carry-on of a specific Minister or Department? In no sense can this proposal be seen as an independent process which will give confidence to ordinary people that their concerns will be investigated. I have little confidence in it.

It is time we discussed new genuinely independent structures for the rapid investigation of scandals or issues of major concern that emerge, the members of which would be ordinary working people. Perhaps we need structures which involve the victims of some of the corruption that has taken place.

The working class people of my constituency of Dublin West, and many others, have suffered appallingly as a result of the corruption between business and politics over the past 30 years. On a daily basis, they live with the consequences of that corruption. It is clear from the planning and zoning that was done that the only consideration was the major profits with which developers and speculators could walk away. Working class communities were left without proper planning and facilities. No consideration was given to the needs of the human beings who would have to live in these communities and resources were not provided for them. To this day working class communities suffer the consequences of that corruption.

I favour structures through which these people could democratically investigate the goings-on of big business, developers, speculators and politicians connected to them. As far as the ordinary taxpayer is concerned, the policies of the Government will give rise to new sources for investigation. For example, I was astounded to read in The Irish Times today that, two years after the privatisation of our telecommunications industry, championed and effected by the Government, four executive directors will walk away with €29 million. It is incredible that a resource which properly belongs to the people is now the plaything of international financiers and speculators and that private individuals can walk away with fortunes of this kind from a necessary service. These resources should be used to be paid for the stark services left in the lurch by the Government, such as health, areas of education, etc.

I was even more alarmed to learn that a leading trade union official has €562,000 in shares and a pension worth €1 million as a result of the privatisation process. The subsuming of the trade union leadership into the corporate agenda is of great concern to ordinary working people. What would the great Connolly and Larkin, the founders of the movement have to say? I have no doubt that working people will want to see the corruption of the ideals, aspirations and founding principles of the labour and trade union movement carried forward within the privatisation agenda, investigated as a matter of urgency.

Mar a bhíos á rá, táim an-mhíshásta ar fad leis an mBille. Deireann sé go bhfuil an Rialtas chun socrú a dhéanamh maidir le coimisiúin a bhunúó am go ham chun scrúdú a dhéanamh i dtaobh nithe a gceaptar gur cás suntasach leis an bpobal iad agus tuarascáil a thabhairt ar na nithe sin agus na socruithe a leanann a leithéid. Ó thaobh gnáthdhaoine agus lucht íoctha cánach de, áfach, níl sé seo sásúil ar chor ar bith. Is cinnte ón méid atáá lua i láthair na huaire sna binsí fiosrúcháin go raibh agus go bhfuil gá le hathrú. Táim ag smaoineamh ar na cinn atá ag suí i láthair na huaire a cuireadh ar bun i 1997 agus faoinar cheapamar uile ag an am go mbeadh an obair críochnaithe taobh istigh de am gairid, go mbeadh an fhírinne amuigh faoi bhráid na ndaoine, go bhféadfaimis dul chun cinn ón bpointe sin, agus go mbeadh an t-eolas faighte againn maidir leis an gcaimiléireacht agus lofacht a bhí ar siúl idir lucht mór ghnó agus lucht mór pholaitíochta.

Anois, áfach, seacht mbliana níos déanaí agus tar éis €100 milliún a bheith caite ar na binsí fiosrúcháin, is cúis scannail iad do ghnáthdhaoine agus do lucht íoctha PAYE go mórmhór. Is cinnte nach bhfuil lucht PAYE sásta go leanfadh an scéal seo ar aghaidh faoi mar atá i láthair na huaire. Tá sé scannalach, mar shampla, gur lig an Rialtas do roinnt áirithe dlíodóirí móra na milliúin a thógaint isteach as bheith ós comhar na mbinsí fiosrúcháin seo.

Ba é dá bharr sin a tháinig brú ar an Rialtas gníomh éigin a dhéanamh maidir le deireadh a chur leis an scéal seo. Níl an méid atáá chur chun cinn ag an Rialtas sásúil ar chor ar bith mar tá an chumhacht iomlán á thabhairt don Aire agus don Rialtas agus tá sé i lámha an Aire coimisiún a chur ar aghaidh, na daoine a bheidh ar an gcoimisiún a ainmniú, agus na horduithe a thabhairt don gcoimisiún. Níl sé sin sásúil ó thaobh na ciniciúlachta de. Táúdar maith leis an ciniciúlacht úd atá in aigne gnáthdhaoine i láthair na huaire maidir leis an maoinlathas polaitíochta agus an maoinlathas ghnó mór faoi mar atá i láthair na huaire.

Tá gá le níos mó díospóireachta ar an gceist seo, agus i ndeireadh na dála, ní chuirfear an fhírinne iomlán ós comhar na ndaoine go dtí go mbeidh struchtúir ann atá déanta suas de ghnáthdhaoine agus dóibh siúd nach bhfuil páirteach sa chóras polaitíochta faoi mar atá i láthair na huaire.

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