Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)

I have some sympathy with the Taoiseach when he receives abuse for the transgressions on the spoils of war from the quarters from which he has received it today. I find it difficult to take because I see those who are accusing him as being equally guilty of things of which they are now accusing the Taoiseach.

That does not mean, however, that he should not answer for what happened at that time; of course he should. He has a unique opportunity to end the culture of cronyism that has cursed Irish politics for many years, not just during the period to which the Moriarty tribunal refers, but over the past 14 years.

Is the Taoiseach going to take measures to stop this culture of cronyism by reversing the decisions made by those accusing him of involvement in this, the outgoing Fianna Fáil Government, to appoint people on a blatantly political basis to the boards of semi-State organisations on its last day in office? I refer specifically to a former Fianna Fáil TD and former Fianna Fáil councillor. Those appointments, and others like them, should be reversed immediately and the Taoiseach should make no apology for doing so.

Will the Taoiseach take the initiative in a more general way to end the culture of cronyism? About eight months ago, the then Fine Gael spokesman on enterprise, Deputy Richard Bruton, at the MacGill Summer School on Irish politics, declared it was Fine Gael policy to dismiss all the boards of semi-State bodies when Fine Gael came to power. That is not in the programme for Government but it should be done.

His cheerleader on that day is sitting beside the Taoiseach - the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, who supported that policy. Is it the Taoiseach's intention not only to dismiss those blatantly outrageous appointments on the last day of the interregnum, but also to move against the contamination of semi-State bodies that happened under the last Government?

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