Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is Thursday. Go raibh maith agat.

We have seen some quite successful court cases recently related to gang terrorism and everything else, and we have seen the latest developments concerning the witness protection programme associated with Dublin's gangland. Is there any chance that the Minister will pass on the idea of exploring similar arrangements regarding the murder in 1996 of Sophie Toscan du Plantier? The matter has been going on for so long that it is embarrassing to our country. It is important that it be explored. I wanted to say that today because it is important. I thank the Chair for his latitude.

We will deal with this Bill through amendments if a majority in my group agrees. We have different opinions about the revolving door. Before I ever became a Member of this House, I saw senior public officials who retired very young getting good jobs somewhere else two days later. They have the inside track. The Minister proposes a cooling-off period of one year but I believe it should be three to five years. One year is too short and gives an unfair edge in respect of information. That is why the individuals are headhunted.

A big business, unlike an ordinary, small business, a gnó beag, will have the resources to take on individuals – we call them lobbyists but they are not lobbyists as such – who know their way around. We have to be very careful when we talk about former Members not being allowed access to the car park. Some of us cannot cycle from Tipperary to Dublin. There is no train within 30 miles of me. I often got a spin from the Minister and others, which I appreciate because I have difficulty at the moment with mo shúile. I was delighted to bump into former Senator Donie Cassidy here two weeks ago and to have some good banter with him. He gave long service here, as did many others. I just mention Mr. Cassidy because he is the former Member I met most recently. If some current Members had their way, they would lock the gates against such people and tell them to keep out, go home or go away and hide. We must respect the people who went before us. Respect and compassion are very important across society, especially in this day and age. Mr. Cassidy gave sterling service not only to his party but also to his people and the House. He was a great man and very entertaining. He and his family have provided much employment, and they still do. I was delighted to meet him and to learn something from him. It is great to meet a former or retired colleague – I nearly said a fallen hero – who comes in to meet us. It is very important and there should be no hang-ups about it. Mr. Cassidy drove here in the car. He drives a good car. He always has a bit of style and panache. He is welcome. Cuirim fíor-fáilte roimh daoine mar sin i gcónaí.

This is difficult legislation but it is somewhat feeble. Transparency International and such groups are not happy with it. That is the aspect I would be worried about. The Minister will have heard me refer in other contributions to big conglomerates. They do not need lobbyists because they are so powerful. We cannot rein them in. We see this now with the price gouging in the electricity and gas markets. We in the Rural Independent Group are adamant and we are striving very hard to have us use our natural resources. We have met people who want to get Barryroe oil in. The individuals cannot be called lobbyists because they are investors in our country. They want to see what resources we have. They know that there is a certain amount and that there could be a lot more. They would bring the oil ashore and it would not cost the Irish taxpayer aon phingin amháin, not a single penny, or, in today's money, not a single cent. Despite, this, they are branded as aliens. Parts of my county were out of power last night, admittedly due to the storm. When people face power outages, they invest in generators. They are worried about keeping their businesses going. The same applies to gas.

When I, as an elected representative, have asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to clarify whether he intends, as per a memo on his desk, to put ready-mixed concrete into the gas line off Kinsale, which, although folamh or empty, has served the country well, he has refused to answer. I have asked his Minister of State also. This should not be allowed to happen because we have people who could bring gas to Ireland and store it in floating terminals.

That will not happen until we get into the real world. We saw that one of our renewables got hit with lightning last night and there was smoke billowing off it. They are vulnerable too. We are all vulnerable, as are systems and services. I am just saying that we must talk to the people who are willing to invest and keep the lights on for us here. I accept we are in a transition period, but we are very slow about it. We are doing it, and we all want to go there, but we do not want to cut our nose to spite our face. It is the same with this legislation. We are not walking on eggshells, but we want to ensure it is sufficiently robust to deal with serious lobbying that is not welcome and for ordinary people to be heard because a lot of the time they are not being heard, and they feel they are not being heard or represented. It is a very thin line to tread in order to get it right. We will be assessing and studying the legislation and trying to bring forward amendments, but we usually get caught with amendments that are considered to be a cost to the State. There should not be any cost in this regard because there is not a significant cost involved; it is more the case of introducing and observing good practices.

Who is going to regulate the legislation when it is passed? How is it going to be regulated? SIPO is totally overburdened at present, so it does not have the resources. We have seen recently that it does not have the powers either to deal with issues at present. I do not know if the Minister is going to give it more powers and resources. Tá an clog imithe. Níl a fhios agam-----

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