Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

With respect, the Taoiseach has not answered any of my questions. Indeed, his response has shed no clarity and perhaps obscured things further. The crucial point is that we cannot see any return to the bad old days, when politics in Ireland was plagued by corruption, grubby deals and cronyism. We cannot see that. We need to be sure that will not happen again.

I repeat my question. In respect of the former Minister of State, Deputy English, is that behaviour, namely, the submission of false information on a planning application which resulted in a benefit to the individual, tolerated by the Taoiseach's party? I cannot put it any clearer than that. What action is the Taoiseach taking on that, as leader of Fine Gael?

Did the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, receive a written acknowledgement, as required by SIPO guideline 1.3.4, confirming that this was a donation to the party and not to the candidate? What evidence is there that the employees were paid personally rather than through a corporate account to put up the posters? Is it acceptable to the Taoiseach that there was such a long delay between the Minister apparently becoming aware of this inadvertence or error in disclosure and the rectification of that error, which came only as recently as the past few days? Is that delay in rectifying the disclosure acceptable to the Taoiseach?

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