Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Citizens are understandably incensed at the revelations of outright corruption by a number of politicians exposed by the "RTE Investigates" programme last night. As the Taoiseach knows, this is not new. Mr. Justice Mahon has said that corruption in Irish political life is both endemic and systemic. Fully 18 years after that tribunal began its work, three years after it made its final report and almost five years after the Taoiseach assumed office, the Government has yet to implement the recommendation of Mr. Justice Mahon to appoint an independent planning regulator.

The Taoiseach promised a democratic revolution but he has not delivered it. The Government went as far as cancelling inquiries into planning irregularities. One of Mr. Phil Hogan's first acts as the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government was to scrap planned inquiries into six different local authorities. Why was that? The then Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, subsequently established reviews instead of inquiries to deal with these matters at the councils. Why was that? The reviews were discredited as a result of the testimony in the High Court of the whistleblower, Mr. Gerard Convie, a former senior planner with Donegal County Council. This year, in May, Sinn Féin brought forward a Private Members' motion calling for an independent planning regulator, as recommended by the Mahon tribunal. The Government voted against that proposal. The Government promised at the time that further reviews would be completed by June of this year, but that has not happened. Last night, the Taoiseach signalled that the issue will not be dealt with before the next general election. The Government has had five years to deal with this - five wasted years. It is not good enough.

We have legislation. An Teachta Brian Stanley has brought it forward. There is no point in the Taoiseach condemning corruption unless he is going to tackle it. Will the Taoiseach allow time for an Teachta Stanley's Bill - I have it before me - to be taken and to proceed through the Oireachtas as a matter of urgency to deal with this issue? It would put in place an independent regulator, as recommended by Mr. Justice Mahon.

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