Eamonn Maloney (Dublin South West, Labour)

I acknowledge the service done to the State by the two individuals who placed the advertisement in The Irish Times in 1995 - Michael Smith, the former chairman of An Taisce, and the barrister, Colm Mac Eochaidh. That advertisement led us to where we are today having this debate about the Mahon tribunal. It did not immediately lead to the establishment of the tribunal, but as a consequence in 1997 this Parliament set up the tribunal - it was not done by the Government but by the House. From reading the transcript of the debate at that time, there was from some quarters - not all because there are decent people in all political parties - within the Fianna Fáil-led Government at the time a sense of reluctance over the establishment of the tribunal. As Deputy Colreavy and others have rightly stated, we should not be having this debate at all and would not be having it if people elected to this Parliament had behaved themselves properly and not been in receipt of corrupt payments.

Since it was established, people have had a go at this tribunal, not always Fianna Fáil people but Progressive Democrats people also. Having taken the praise in one respect for establishing it, they then set about attacking the tribunal both directly and indirectly. I have listened to some of the contributors to the debate from the Opposition side bemoaning the fact that it cost a lot of money - which it did - and the duration of the tribunal. However, the money and time would not have been spent if some members of the Fianna Fáil Party had behaved themselves. They obviously did not and that is why we are having this debate.

As a Labour Deputy I am proud that no Labour Deputy or councillor is indicted in the report. During this debate some Opposition Members have challenged the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan - he has been challenged quite a lot in recent days - regarding not publishing reports into local authorities outside Dublin. My advice to them is that they should be careful what they wish for. As the previous speaker said, those who think this is just a Dublin problem should hold their breath because there is other stuff coming out in these reports. This issue was not just confined to Dublin and there is some horrific stuff in it.

Like everybody else, I was selective in the parts of the Mahon report I read. One person in particular was vilified. I am not defending the man because he made payments, but I am talking about Tom Gilmartin. I know nothing about him that is worth talking about. The truthfulness of his contribution stands out. I know he gave money, but I have certain sympathy for people who, like me, had to emigrate to Britain and elsewhere at some stage. Tom Gilmartin was one of those people. He did not have to give his testimony and could have turned the other way as some others did. This man was vilified. Ironically, he came back to this country having been abroad and found himself in this building with a Minister, Pádraig Flynn, wearing his Armani suit, trying to take £50,000 from his pocket. He then found himself out in County Dublin faced by men in black glasses who would not show their faces under the guise of being republicans. They were also trying to get their fingers into his wallet. For a man in this situation it must have been quite a dilemma.

I have a very simple analysis of people in high places who took corrupt payments. I know what they should do - they should do time in jail.

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