Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Fáilte ar ais, Teachtaí, and a happy new year to everyone.

Deputy McDonald, I believe Paschal Donohoe. I believe he is a man of integrity and a man of the highest standards. He is somebody I have known for a very long time and I believe he is somebody we can trust, and somebody who I believe. I think, deep down, everyone in this House knows that Paschal is a man of integrity and somebody who tells the truth.

What happened here is that six years ago, a businessman who is a supporter of his paid six people less than €200 each to put up and take down posters. There was also the issue of a loan of a company van, and the amount, the value of that, was below the limit above which you must declare it as a donation. He did not know the full facts. He only knew the full facts himself recently. When he did know the full facts, he amended his return, as he explained on Sunday. He accepts that he should have done this much sooner. He does concede a mistake in that regard and has apologised for it.

We have a system of accountability when it comes to the Electoral Act and the ethics Act here in Ireland and it is now up to the standards commission to examine this complaint. It is not for us to make definitive judgments. We have the standards commission to do that and it will look at it impartially and make a decision. Ultimately, this is a political chamber, a political place, and we all know how votes will fall if there is a vote. That is why we have an independent commission, a standards commission, to take it out of the political cut and thrust. That body will look at the information independently and it will decide whether to carry out a preliminary inquiry. It has not even decided that yet. If it decides to carry out a preliminary inquiry, that will happen; and only at that point will it decide whether it is appropriate to have a full investigation at all. I think it is important that we respect the ethics legislation we voted through in this House and that we allow the standards commission to do its work free from political interference, whether it is from Government or from Opposition.

I think it is wrong to cast aspersions on Michael Stone. I do not know Michael Stone. I have met him. He is the chairman of the north-east inner city task force. Deputy McDonald knows the work that he has done in her constituency to help to improve the lives of people in the north-east inner city. She knows he does that without claiming any expenses or any salary or financial reward. She also knows that he served on the board of the Land Development Agency and did not take any expenses and did not claim the allowance that could have been given to him because he is genuinely somebody who wants to make the country a better place, believes in his community and wants to contribute. That, and for no other reason, is why he is a supporter of the Minister, Deputy Donohoe.

The Deputy asked a question specifically of me. I only heard about this in the last couple of days. I could not tell her for sure whether it was Friday or Saturday but it was only in the last couple of days. I had no prior knowledge of it before that point.

On the other questions she asks, I think she would have to ask them of the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, later today. He is willing to answer questions.

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