Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)

The point is a number of complaints were made to the Minister of State's Department by the Office of the Ombudsman and the local government auditor. These were not spurious complaints lodged by people from the sides of the streets or by a couple of cranks. They were made by reputable organisations and the Minister, who has left the Chamber, has conveniently sought to try to rubbish some of the complaints that were made in this regard. I note the Minister of State becomes very uncomfortable when the facts are pointed out to this House. Fine Gael and the Labour Party have the majority of the membership of more than two thirds of local authorities nationwide but continue to default back to the Mahon report, which pertains to events back in 1992, a time when most of the younger members of the Fianna Fáil Party had barely completed their leaving certificate exams.

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