Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate and I compliment Deputy Niall Collins for formulating this Private Members' motion. It is a matter of fundamental importance to the House. We have seen the negative effects of planning decisions taken for the wrong reasons over the past decades. We have seen the impact on the built environment and the way in which politics is viewed by many citizens. It is of fundamental importance that the work of this House or a Government, of whatever hue or background, is done in a way to regain the trust and confidence of the Irish people in the planning process. That might require the Minister of State going a step further than she would have wanted or a step further than necessary. If that is what it takes to remove the perception of a culture of corruption or the potential for corruption, poor planning and lack of adherence to standards, it is a step worth taking. The Minister of State is constrained by Government decisions and her position in the Department but she must fight her colleagues to ensure the perception is no longer the prevailing belief by the end of her time in office.

I do not stand here as part of a party that is whiter than white. We have all had councillors and people within our parties-----

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