Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)

This sitting of the House need not be a charade unless we make it one. We have before us an opportunity with this Friday sitting to discuss important issues relating to the funding of political parties and causes. I choose to ignore the hypocrisy of those sponsoring this Bill because I believe we should take the time to discuss its content, the issues arising and also many of the issues Deputy Wallace raised in his contribution. The Bill is good in general terms because of what it seeks to do.

Political donations are a good thing. They represent individual support for the public good and, in the vast majority of cases, people spend their hard-earned money to support a political party or cause which they believe to be in the best interests of their country or State. Democracy must be funded but were the State to fund political parties, causes or individuals directly and do so exclusively it might constitute a certain threat to our democracy. Nevertheless, there is a significant problem with donations when donors seek to influence or give money in the hope that they can influence a politician or a political decision or outcome. We will never be able to legislate against a person's intentions or against how they might intend to pervert the course of politics or justice, whether this involves the donor or the recipient.

We must hope that our elected representatives will act with integrity and honour and with good political judgment in respect of how they conduct their affairs. Unfortunately, history tells us that we cannot simply hope alone and that we must tightly control this area of public life, the area of donations to political parties and to individuals acting in the political arena. The Bill seeks to do something about this issue but, crucially, it allows for donations.

It is important - Deputy Wallace adverted to this point - to allow for private donations. People should have the right to make private contributions to public life in a financial form. The Bill and the future Government Bill seek to put a cap on the amounts so that we can see, past a reasonable threshold, who is making what might be considered to be if not too much of a contribution then a contribution that should be noted. It is important that people can associate with a political party or cause in a democracy.

The Bill makes a significant leap in respect of corporate donations. Effectively, it seeks to ban them. This is necessary because it attempts to address the crucial area of influence whereby corporate entities, as opposed to individuals, may seek to influence political decisions or outcomes. However, influence is not wielded solely by financial means; there are other types of influence. One person may have more influence upon me than another who gives me a political or financial donation because I know the former or respect their opinion. Legislation will never be able to address that aspect.

Corporate political donations are not the only way to use finances to influence a politician. Someone could give a private donation and may seek to influence a decision that one may make. Legislation will not be able to address that either. We must depend on the good judgment and integrity of the people we elect. We must keep this in mind because some activities cannot be and never will be seen. Legislation cannot address these aspects.

We must do something about corporate donations because of the history of politics in this country, because of the association that some corporate donations have had in public life and because we can state, almost without doubt, that corporate donations have been given in an attempt to influence a political decision or outcome. Unfortunately, such donations or the intention of such donations have been successful.

We must strictly regulate against corporate donations. What the Government hopes to do and what this legislation seeks to do is to ban corporate donations. We must tighten up controls and bring down the limits beyond which one must declare a donation. We must increase transparency in this field. We must get at what exactly is happening here and how political parties and people are funded so that it is done properly and so that people can operate and be seen to operate in the public interest free from influence. We must always be wary of those transactions, whether financial or human, that cannot be seen or which cannot be legislated against, such as a telephone call that occurs on an important night in the history of the country or a game of golf with a certain person. Such relationships are not financial but human but they can have as much of an influence on outcomes in public life as donations of €500 or €1,000 from a particular company in a particular area. We must be mindful of this. We must remind ourselves that, as elected public representatives, we have a duty to the State and not to individuals, regardless of what donations they may give.

I return to the crucial point that it is good to make political donations. It is good that a student from a university can give €20 online to Barack Obama's campaign or that someone may give €100 to a new candidate because they wish to see a new politician in place and they take the view that it is commendable for such a candidate to put themselves forward. One may simply wish to help to pay for that candidate's posters. This is a good thing. It is good that one can do this, that one's name need not be printed in a newspaper somewhere and that one can keep a political affiliation to a certain person or party private. This is important for democracy and how it operates.

However, it is necessary to regulate when donations exceed a certain amount, including when they may be considered to be improper. We should legislate to reduce the size of such donations and make it transparent in respect of who and what entities are funding political parties and politics. Given our history it is essential to ban corporate donations. It is good that this Bill tries to do so. The Government will bring forward a Bill containing similar provisions.

Another important aspect of this Bill from a financial point of view is that it brings those participating in referendum campaigns into the public sphere and ensures they play by the same rules as all of us. We need to know who is participating in referendum campaigns as much as we need to know who is participating in political campaigns.

I welcome this Bill and I will support the Government Bill when it is brought to the House.

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