Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

When the Government came to power in 2011 we were promised a democratic revolution, but here we are, almost five years on, and there has been little or no change in how the Government does business. Nowhere is this more obvious than how we have handled the Tribunals of Inquiry Bill 2005. The Bill was introduced in 2005, had Second Stage in 2007, Committee Stage in 2009 and has yet to be brought to Report and Final Stages. It is a Bill by which the outcomes of the Moriarty tribunal could be furthered. Sinn Féin has continually raised the issue with Fine Gael and Labour Party Ministers, but the Bill stands still. As it stands, all the Moriarty tribunal report seems to be useful for is holding up the old sash windows of Government Buildings during warm summer days.

The reality appears to be that the Government does not wish to deal with the tribunals or anything of such matters. To do so would be to severely shift away from how the Government has acted in Ireland for many years. It is not just this Government, but also previous Governments. The findings of the tribunals caused headaches for mainstream parties and for their financial backers. A cosy consortium exists in Irish politics between certain business interests and political life. The Moriarty tribunal pointed this out and yet nothing has happened, just as nothing happened from the outcome of the beef tribunal, and just as those named in the tribunals still operate freely in Ireland, despite having been found doing wrong. In some cases they are still in receipt of Government contracts. Are we serious?

It seems very easy to bring a case against a 16 year old for throwing eggs at a Minister's car. It seems very easy to show up in the early hours of the morning to arrest water protesters in their homes. It even seems very easy to arrest a Member of the House for a political protest at Shannon Airport. Why, then, is it so difficult to follow up on named persons for serious breaches of the law? Is it that Governments in Ireland do not consider white collar crime an actual crime, or is it that the Government is so wedded to the business interests named in these reports that it will never pursue them?

I have no doubt there are many honest Members on the Government benches who do not like the carry on or the actions of these individuals. However, there does not seem to be a political appetite to pursue those who act in a corrupt manner.

The "RTE Investigates" programme was a perfect example of how corrupt practices are viewed by some in this country. I fear, moreover, that it is only the tip of the iceberg. White-collar crime is apparently untouchable. If the Government is serious about tackling corruption, it should take a stand today - UN International Anti-Corruption Day - by announcing new measures to bring offenders to justice. It is disingenuous of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael politicians to lament the fact that the events revealed in Monday night's programme would be very difficult to prove in a court of law. Who writes the legislation? Members will recall that my colleague, Deputy Stanley, brought forward legislation to set up a planning regulator. If Government Deputies had not voted down that Bill, we might not have seen what we did in the "RTE Investigates" programme.

See this speech in context