John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

It is not only Mr. Justice Smith who calls for scrutiny and transparency. The Warsaw-based Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights was invited by the Department of Foreign Affairs to observe this year's general election. It concluded that the Electoral Act, which governs election spending, was rendered obsolete by its narrow scope. I am aware of that. Much spending takes place between elections. By the time the election campaign is officially called many of the bigger spenders have spent considerable amounts of money. That needs to be addressed. The proper forum for this matter would be the electoral commission.

It would be regrettable for Deputies to dismiss the electoral commission. It offers huge scope for reform. I have spoken to colleagues who have tried in the past and failed to establish an electoral commission. It would be an enormous achievement to establish an electoral commission. It would deal not only with funding but also with the question of the electoral register and other matters which need to be addressed.

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