Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It has been established that the Minister of State is here as the representative of the Government this evening, because he has not disputed it. The charge was put that this amendment was being brought forward in order to facilitate Fianna Fáil to hold a draw which the party could not do in the autumn of last year. He did not dispute that and did not suggest there was another reason for bringing forward that amendment. I take it the agreed position of this House is that this amendment has been brought forward at the behest of one political party in order to make legal what was previously illegal.

The result of the party's illegal activities in that regard was that the party made somewhere in the region of €500,000 last year.

It is legitimate to say that any person who benefited from that illegal activity has questions to answer. Whether they knowing were aware that this was illegal or not, that is not the way the law acts.

Quite a number of specific questions were put to the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, ranging from the simple, such as where did this come from and who asked him, to why did this come in at this point in time. Why was it brought to Cabinet on 24 May? Why was it subsequently only made public after the committee had finished its deliberations? Why, at essentially the final Stage of what was good and agreed legislation, was this brought in? As I say, the Minister of State did not answer that question and we can only take it that the charge was put.

The Minister of State was asked whether he stands over this because what happened was a Fianna Fáil Minister approached him, instructed him or whatever the case may be to bring forward and stand over this amendment and legislation from his Department. There are amendments, as I understand it, amendments Nos. 2 and 101, that are being brought forward specifically to financially benefit that Minister's political party.

Deputy Noonan is the Minister of State who is here representing the Government tonight. As a representative of the Government, the Minister of State has an opportunity to do the honourable thing. In my view, the only honourable thing the Government can do tonight, considering the questions that have been raised and those that have not been answered, is to withdraw the relevant amendment in respect of that. If the Minister of State does that, we will have unanimous agreement to this Bill. The Minister of State can then bring forward legislation on political party financing in which he can address whatever anomalies different parties may have, because there are anomalies in political financing that possibly all political parties will have come across and would like to see addressed. We do not have the option of the Minister to put forward an amendment at the last minute and get the nod of all three parties at Cabinet to bring forward an amendment. Apparently, it was a nod that they signed off on. Every member of Cabinet signed off on this without even seeing the final text on it but that is neither here nor there.

The honourable thing tonight is for the Minister of State to withdraw this amendment. I do not see how the Minister of State can have any credibility if he does not do that considering the serious challenge and question that has been put in respect of what was the illegal financing of a political party that involved the misleading of courts and the contravention of the law as it currently stands.

The attempt by that same political party to use its political office to change the law to make legal what was previously illegal and in which it was involved in legal is scandalous; there is no other word for it. That is Charlie Haughey-era stuff at its most evident. The Minister of State is part of the Government that is attempting to pull that stroke. My question is whether the Minister of State will do the honourable thing and withdraw this amendment because there is no other course. There is no other way that the Minister of State can justify his actions personally and those of his party, in terms of its position at Cabinet, if he stands over this amendment being forced through the House tonight and using the Government's majority to force it through when he knows that the only reason it is being done is to allow Fianna Fáil to provide some political cover to what was its illegal financial acts.

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