Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)

Deputy Rabbitte quoted St. Augustine, saying let me be chaste but not yet. The actual quotation relates to chastity and continence. My St. Augustine is not that good but I know that he said that where a person makes a genuine effort to do something, what matters most is the fact he genuinely made the effort, not whether he succeeded.

Deputy Rabbitte also made some remarks about the Green Party saying one thing about the Minister's position, the Minister not answering, then agreeing with the Minister anyway. I made a genuine comment yesterday where I supported the thrust of a Fine Gael idea. The Minister, to my satisfaction, responded that he would deal with the issue. It might not have been 100% satisfactory but it was satisfactory. We have explained why if a party is in government it must vote with the Government unless it chooses to leave.

Deputy Burton has made many valid points on the need for accountability but my fear is not that the committee would be overwhelmed by having to deal with the reports every 30 days, or that developers and their donations would not be included, but that the media will take out the sensational and report it. We have seen how reports in the Irish media were picked up by outlets elsewhere, which had an impact on the Irish marketplace and confidence in our economy. In terms of the evolution of economic value, 30 days is too close. It will be commented on ad infinitum and there will be no real progress form one month to the next. I take Deputy Burton's point about the arrears of the quarterly report but it is still reported every quarter and there will be an opportunity to look at things in detail. That strikes a balance, although I agree that where it is legally possible and appropriate, at some stage in the future, once and once only the names of the individuals should be put in the public domain for the damage caused to this economy.

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