Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not bear any ill will against the Minister or indeed Mr. Stone, who I believe did a lot of good work in Dublin inner city. The only problem I see is that he was ahead of his time. He was a visionary. He was for Fianna Fáil until the Minister met him in 2011, then he changed tack before Fine Gael ever decided to go into coalition with Deputy Micheál Martin. Perhaps the most alarming thing this entire saga has highlighted to us all is that the barriers that existed between political and business classes in this country are now almost inseparable. It is certainly not a good time for politics or for any of us. The Minister's diary states that he had 12 meetings with Mr. Stone during his term as Minister for Finance.

His actions as Minister for Finance were always to bat for the bankers, vulture funds and so on. One of his last actions before leaving office as Minister for Finance and moving to his current role was to allow bankers to get their bonuses again. Now, more than 50 bankers are earning €1.5 million plus. Why do people need that kind of money to live in this country and why is the Minister batting so hard for them?

I will move on to some questions. At the Sunday press conference, the Minister told the nation that the posters went up at night. I asked him about this as well. It is clear as day that the posters went up during daylight hours, though. Does the Minister know day from night or dark from daylight? Will the Minister please clarify the situation, given that we now know that what he stated was not the case?

Regarding the tickets that the Minister sold to Mr. Stone, what manner of payment was used? Was it credit card, cash, cheque, bank draft, pound notes or whatever?

The valuation of the posters presented by the Minister is not credible. Will he provide a full breakdown of how he arrived at the figure of €1,057? Other candidates in his constituency documented figures of approximately €5,000. We all know the costs involved and we appreciate the volunteers who help us. We could not manage without them - families, friends and everyone one - putting up a few posters. It is not easy, but the Minister's valuation seems very skewed.

My understanding is that a second complaint has been sent to SIPO. That will take up even more time. This whole saga is taking away from people on trolleys and waiting lists, including housing lists. The Minister has handled this matter in a poor manner. It is time that he put it to bed. Let us move on and try to run the country for the ordinary people we are supposed to represent, not for the golden circles that seem to exist. I will not make any allegation about contracts, but we all know what is happening.

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