Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

I too welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the final report of the Mahon tribunal. It is a pity it took 15 years for the tribunal to complete its work and that the costs associated with its work are huge. However, I suppose no price is too high in ensuring the truth is outed.

The Mahon tribunal investigated shady dealings, political payments, possible corruption and financial immorality. No one imagined this inquiry would take so long. While I do not wish to attack the tribunal I believe there was also financial immorality in terms of payments to some staff associated with its work, some of whom earned up to €2,500 per day. This must be examined in the context of future inquiries. The amount of money paid out in fees is equal to what it would cost to pay 2,500 highly qualified specialised nurses for one year, which staff are badly needed in our hospitals and so on. One can make many analogies. The costs associated with the tribunal are a serious issue of concern.

We all witnessed the charades last week when this report was published. There were similar charades in this House yesterday and again this morning. Inquiries were set up by the former Minister, John Gormley.

See this speech in context