Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There has been a great effort here this evening on behalf of the Government to divert attention from the core issue. We heard some of that tune played just a moment ago. Let me remind Members that the last time there was a similar controversy surrounding a Fine Gael Minister of using his influence to do favours for his friend, it was the Tánaiste. When he leaked a confidential document to a friend, we were told to move on, there is nothing to see here, this is gameplaying, political stunts and so on. it is now nine months later and his actions are still under criminal investigation by the Garda. I would ask Members to forgive Sinn Féin and many others in the Opposition if we are sceptical of the same excuses being peddled by the Government parties today.

Let us call a spade a spade. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, has been caught red-handed offering a salaried job, paid by the taxpayer, to a friend. He has been caught using the time and resources of his Department to reverse-engineer that role. He has been caught covering his tracks and destroying records and communications pertaining to official Government business, thereby making a mockery out of the freedom of information legislation. He has been caught misleading the committee to which he is answerable and then concocting a story that stretched all credulity, expecting the committee and the public to swallow it.

The Taoiseach believes we should turn a blind eye. He tells us that this behaviour is not worthy of sanction or of censure - that, in effect, it is an example to all members of the Government to follow, that there will be no repercussions, and that while there may be three parties there should only be one Taoiseach who should take action, but he has failed to do so. That is why Sinn Féin has moved this motion today. We have a very different view, namely, that a Government Minister using his influence, office and power to create a paid job at the UN for a friend is not acceptable, that a Government Minister misleading a committee of the Oireachtas is not acceptable, that a Government Minister destroying records of Government communications is not acceptable, and that creating backchannels to communicate favours for friends is not acceptable. This Government needs to understand that. This cuts to the core of how the Government works and who it works for.

The culture of the insider has become the hallmark of Fine Gael in government for far too long and it is a corrosive force, but it comes at a cost to the outsiders - those who, unlike the developers, the bankers or former Government Ministers, do not have members of this Government on speed dial. That culture needs to be stamped out. While Fine Gael remains in power, that is unlikely to happen. It is even more unlikely when a Taoiseach allows the culture to fester without any action or sanction. That is crazy stuff. Without sanction, what is the message that is being sent out? It is that this is how Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Green Party are permitted to do their business. That is something Sinn Féin does not accept. It is something this Dáil should not accept. That is why this Dáil should stand up and set out a clear message tonight that the culture of cronyism and the culture of doing favours for those on the inside is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. That is why Members of this House should vote no confidence in Simon Coveney tonight. What he has done was pure cronyism. He has been caught out. He has only ever apologised for not telling the Taoiseach in advance, and not for the creation of a job for his friend that was paid by the public purse, for the fact that he destroyed the records, or for the fact that he reverse-engineered the job. None of that he has apologised for yet.

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