Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

It is unfortunate, but that Act is what covers postering. We are all well used to the idea of ethics and transparency in public office. This Bill proposes that candidates throughout the country declare annually, regardless of whether an election is taking place, their interests in their local area and what property they own within the State. This is an approach that has been successful in elections and most people comply with the regulations in an honest and straightforward way. This has not been abused in recent years.

It is important to have such regulations, particularly considering that when development plans are being prepared, local authority members sitting on the council may have an interest in lands in their area. It is healthy for politics and democracy that individual representatives or would-be candidates have the option to declare their interests for the public record. I am aware declarations of interest are not available on websites, but the fact they are available on a register for members of the public to consult is positive and has been good for democracy. I endorse this.

Today, the Fine Gael Party announced its views on how elections should be conducted and, perhaps, we will have an opportunity to discuss that tomorrow. We suggest we should have an electoral commission with all elements of elections under the one umbrella, the register, transparency, spending and the rules and regulations established by the House and others.

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