Dara Murphy (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak to the Bill. In the first instance, it is amusing and distressing to note that it is only now, after 14 years of inactivity while in government, that Fianna Fáil is introducing this Bill. While Deputy Michael McNamara laments the fact that no Fianna Fáil Deputy is present, it is also important to note that our colleagues in opposition and in government spent many long weeks before the general election trying to reduce the number of Deputies; therefore, it is a mixed blessing. Nonetheless, it is negligent of Fianna Fáil Deputies not to be present to support their own Bill.

Yesterday Deputy Micheál Martin described the Bill as a new departure in how politics were conducted in Ireland. He suggested it was historic in transforming how politics were conducted and would make politics more transparent. He said it would break the link between business and politics, stating, "This Bill will begin the process of restoring confidence in politics after a long and damaging run of controversies." He further stated this new-found ambition of political reform had "as yet" gone undelivered. The reason it has gone undelivered is simply, like so much else we have seen in the last decade and a half, Fianna Fáil and its coalition partners did not deliver or attempt to deliver reform. In fact, it is clear that much of the detail enclosed in the Bill can be seen in the election manifestos of Fine Gael and the Labour Party and, most importantly, the recently published and agreed programme for Government. Significantly, not only does the Bill plagiarise sections of the programme for Government, it also has some flaws which make this amendment too narrowly focused and unworkable. The Bill omits key areas of reform. It is like Fianna Fáil's long and damaging time in office - half-baked, cynical, hypocritical and self-serving. Yesterday Deputy Micheál Martin requested that this debate be free of point-scoring. I can see why, when Fianna Fáil has left the goals unattended and neglected for so long. This is its Bill, after all, and we are entitled to score points and goals.

We must, nonetheless, be constructive. As Members will be aware, the Government has made provision in the current Dáil term for the publication of its own amendment to the political funding Bill and it is expected that draft legislation will be ready in a number of weeks. It is at this point of the debate helpful to reiterate the following commitments made in the programme for Government. Spending limits will be introduced for all elections; political donation limits to parties will be reduced to €2,500; donations to candidates will be reduced to €1,000 and legal and constitutional provisions will be introduced to ban corporate donations to political parties. It is further intended that an electoral commission will subsume the functions of other bodies and some functions of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Importantly, after a very short time in government, many long overdue reforms have either been announced or already taken place. The Minister, Deputy Phil Hogan, announced the following Government decisions last week. A constituency commission will be established after the publication of the 2011 preliminary census results to facilitate the promised reduction in the number of Deputies. The Presidential election spending limit will be reduced from €1.3 million to €750,000, while the figure for expenses which candidates can be reimbursed will be reduced from €260,000 to €200,000.

We all remember the outrageous attempt made by the last Government to prevent the people from having proper representation in this House by delaying the holding of by-elections. The Government has decided to block this cynical obstacle to democracy by ensuring by-elections will take place within six months of a vacancy occurring. Iy is also preparing separate legislation to give effect to other changes and reforms.

The suggestion made by the Opposition of tardiness in the Government's approach to reform is contradicted in several obvious respects, including the removal of the automatic entitlement to State cars and drivers for Ministers, the cutting of the pay of the Taoiseach, Ministers and Ministers of State, and the removal of severance pay for Ministers. In addition to the measures included in the programme for Government, the recent Moriarty tribunal report outlines some further areas for consideration by the Government in 12 specific recommendations, consideration of which should and will form part of the Government's package of reforms. Given its weaknesses and narrow focus, I urge all Members not to support the Bill.

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