Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Cheann Comhairle as ucht am a thabhairt dom labhairt ar an ábhar fíor-thábhachtach seo. Agus mé ag labhairt air, táim tromchroíoch mar gheall ar an ábhar uafásach seo atá os ár gcomhair. Chomh maith leis sin gabhaim buíochas leis an Rialtas de bharr an trí lá seo a thabhairt dúinn chun an t-ábhar seo a phlé.

It is important to acknowledge and to thank the Government for the fact that we have had three days' debate on this particularly critical issue. One would hope that out of this debate would come some sense of reassurance for the general public that the circumstances around planning in this country have changed and have changed dramatically.

Before I deal with the specific details of the report, I wish to record my personal anger, disappointment and deep disgust at the findings of the Mahon tribunal report about Fianna Fáil members. I was honoured to be elected as a Fianna Fáil Deputy for Kildare South in 2002 and to be re-elected since. I represent my constituency to the very best of my ability and I will continue to do so as long as I am elected. It was the ordinary people of County Kildare, the decent, honourable citizens, who sent me here, just as they sent my colleague on the opposite side, Deputy Durkan, to represent Kildare North. I would be failing in my responsibilities to the public who elected me and the friends and Fianna Fáil members and family members who supported me if I did not clearly also reflect their disgust and dismay at revelations showing a culture of inappropriate or corrupt behaviour on the part of a small but significant number of party members, some of whom have held high office.

Those who have betrayed the public trust at whatever level within the Fianna Fáil organisation, whether through intentionally corrupt activity or as a result of inadequate ethical standards, have brought shame on our party, shame on their colleagues and have damaged the whole body politic. I acknowledge and appreciate the reasonable points made by the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dowd, because he has reflected, as have others such as Deputy Timmins, that while we had a significant problem in our party, what happened should not be taken as a reflection on all members of Fianna Fáil who have served here and on local authorities throughout the country.

It needs to be stated emphatically that the Fianna Fáil members of this Dáil, led by Deputy Micheál Martin, are committed to the highest possible standards in public life. We are honoured to serve here at the discretion of the electorate and we are absolutely determined to ensure the reputation of the vast majority of our predecessors who served here and throughout the country with total honour and integrity is not sullied now by those who would take opportunistic advantage of the Mahon report. We are further committed to organising our own political affairs in such a manner as to ensure that the 20 year-old transgressions identified in this report and the profound conclusion which Mr. Justice Moriarty arrived at in his report with regard to the biggest public contract in the history of the State are never repeated.

I regret the fact that Sinn Féin has been sharp and vociferous in its condemnation of our party. I acknowledge, as others do, that many of the Sinn Féin members are sincere and committed Members of this House and that their intentions are the best. However, their criticism, representing the party that they do, goes beyond the point of hypocrisy when measured against the nefarious activities of some of their members and their fellow travellers.

Fianna Fáil accepts the findings of the Mahon tribunal. In such an extensive report, however, extending to well in excess of 3,000 pages, there may be elements which require clarification or correction. I refer in particular to references on page 2,460 to my colleague and friend, Deputy Seán Fleming. We support the Deputy in his call to the tribunal to rectify the situation in regard to the reference made to him.

Fianna Fáil has more than 65,000 members throughout Ireland, in urban and rural communities. These are decent community activists who have joined our party, seeing it as the vehicle through which they can serve their community and their country. Under our leader, Deputy Mícheál Martin, swift action was taken towards the members who had findings made against them in the report. Up to yesterday, as Members know, six members have resigned their membership of the party. If they had not done so I am confident that the meeting of our national executive, scheduled for tomorrow, would have terminated their membership. The rules and procedures committee of our party will also look at the other members who are in receipt of what has been described as "inappropriate" payments. I understand Fine Gael is doing likewise. Whether people like it or not, our party, along with others, has made a remarkable contribution to democracy in Ireland. Lest there be any doubt, I assure the House we will continue to contribute as long as people give us a mandate. Those who would will us away and see the end of us can go off and dance on somebody else's political grave, in the short term at least.

Commentators tend to forget that even though our worst ever result was in the election last year, more than 400,000 decent people throughout the country voted for Fianna Fáil at that time. We are bruised and battered but we have not, and will not, go away because we have a lot to contribute to public life. Our members and the public have been let down by the actions of a few; we recognise that. I agree with what the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, said last Friday. He noted that the vast majority of people he has met during his long life in politics, whether at national or local level, are honest and hardworking. That has been my experience as well.

In his response to the report the Tánaiste made reference to the fact that he had called for an inquiry in 1990. In that year I believe the Tánaiste was a member of Democratic Left. The Labour Party was in Government with Fianna Fáil between 1992 and 1994 but no planning inquiry was set up and no laws were changed during this period. I wonder if the Tánaiste had a word with his party about this inaction at a time when he was not yet a member.

The report exposed endemic corruption in the political system, primarily including our party but also elements of Fine Gael and the Labour Party. If we are to debate the report and look at it honestly that fact must be acknowledged. Double standards are not acceptable, especially if we are to illustrate to the public how planning issues are totally different now. The time the Mahon report examined must be put into context. It covered a very different time when there was no legislation either in regard to political donations or, more specifically, to the actual planning process. That should not give any consolation to those who were involved in inappropriate and corrupt activity. We should not have to legislate to ensure that people, in particular those who hold public office, behave in a manner that reflects the responsibilities bestowed on them by the public.

I like to think things are vastly different now - rightly so. Let us again be honest and admit that much of the change has been brought about by as a result of 15 different pieces of legislation delivered under Fianna Fáil-led Governments. There is no way corruption can be totally eliminated - as with poverty which will always be with us, there will always be those who will tend towards inappropriate action. We must make every attempt to ensure corruption is stamped out and must root it out when it can be identified. Culturally, people are now very intolerant of procedures not being followed. It is only right that we are open and transparent. That is why the requirements of the Standards in Public Office Commission, SIPO, have rightly made politicians more accountable for any earnings or gifts they receive. Declarations and annual statements are required since Fianna Fáil brought these requirements into legislation in 2001.

The Government stated it considered the Mahon report at Cabinet on Tuesday and that all relevant Ministers will look at the recommendations and revert to the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government by the end of April. Fianna Fáil supports the recommendations made about the independent regulator. I presume the Minister, Deputy Hogan, will have his own views on that and will make them known to us as soon as possible. This regulator would be in addition to other legislation already in place and would prevent inappropriate interference.

Although we have never identified any significant corruption within the professional planning system there is much that needs change and amend in how our professional planners do their business. Most of the involvement and representational initiatives taken by people like us - I suspect Deputy Durkan would agree - would not need to be taken if the professional planners were more accessible and more engaged with those people who are in the planning process and who deserve to be able to engage on a professional level.

I sincerely hope the actions resulting from the Mahon report do not take as long to implement as the suggestions, reports and recommendations made in the Moriarty report which was published a year ago. The Taoiseach said at the time that report would not gather dust but it has been doing so for the past year.

It is up to all of us to act responsibly - after all, we are legislators and most of us take that role very seriously. Fianna Fáil will support the legislative proposals that are recommended in the Mahon report. I assure people that the political culture of the 1980s and 1990s is well gone as far as our party is concerned and I welcome its demise.

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