Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

They are not fit for office. I heard one Minister welcome the fact that one of the councillors had resigned from his party. Of course he does, because it gets Fine Gael out of a spot. People will not just move on and forget about this. Fine Gael has a responsibility to address this issue properly, but it has failed spectacularly to do so in the case of a number of other public representatives of theirs in recent times. Fine Gael continues to harbour people involved in wrongdoing who have faced few, if any, consequences.

Accountability matters because without it there can be no trust in public institutions or fair dealings in business or public life. Many people feel that to succeed they must play the game. A lack of accountability damages the reputation of the country and corrodes people's self-confidence. It undermines the authority of our public institutions and tarnishes our image as a place in which to do business. Without accountability there is only impunity. If people are used to getting away with it, or suffering little or no consequences when they are found out, then why would they stop?

If there is any good news to come out of Monday’s "RTE Investigates" revelations, it is that surely the Government cannot ignore the problem any longer. We in the Social Democrats certainly do not intend to continue to ignore it, as do other parties. We are a new party, and one of our main aims is to clean up politics once and for all. This is why we propose an independent anti-corruption agency which would have all the powers necessary to examine, investigate, pursue and, most importantly, prosecute those involved in wrongdoing, whether in public life, politics, the public service or business. We need a single agency with a single focus and all the necessary powers. The power to prosecute is critical because, as I said earlier, we cannot have accountability without consequences for those involved.

The proposal before us is detailed and if the Government is serious about tackling the corrosive problem of corruption in Irish public life, it should support the motion. The "RTE Investigates" programme has reminded us all, yet again, that we will never end corruption in Ireland unless we tackle it head on. The Social Democrats plan for an independent anti-corruption agency would do just this. I strongly urge the Government to consider supporting the motion and start the process of cleaning up Irish politics.

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