Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)

They are now playing ducks and drakes with this issue in raising spurious reasons, such as the four I outlined, for not proceeding with the Bill. The substance of the position is that if the legislation presented in the House on two occasions by Deputy Rabbitte was passed into law, perhaps incorporating the more than 40 amendments the Government originally produced, all reasonable people would conclude that the possibility of individuals coming forward to report wrongdoing to the appropriate authorities would have been enhanced and we would have avoided a great deal of wrongdoing.

To return to the issue of money laundering, some of the material I have read recently on what is taking place in Britain, other European Union countries and, to an increasing extent, Ireland, indicates that it is increasingly difficult to persuade people to blow the whistle on this cancer which is damaging the fabric of society.

The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has failed to deal with the major problems we face. Instead, he has apportioned blame in all directions, pointing to a lack of intelligence preceding the riots in Dublin and arguing that sentences imposed by courts should be much stiffer. These excuses do not cut ice because problems are not being faced.

The phenomenon of crack cocaine is rearing its ugly head in this city, notably in parts of the north inner city. This is a most awful drug and if it takes hold here, as it has in other places such as parts of Britain, crime will increase as addicts seek money to pay for their habit. In ducking this issue, the Government has demonstrated that, despite its rhetoric, it has no real commitment to transparency and accountability.

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