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

I thank the Deputy for raising the important issue of our electoral laws. On Saturday, The Irish Timesreported that the Standards in Public Office Commission is examining irregularities in Sinn Féin's accounts. The accounts have also been examined by a senior independent accountant, who confirmed the anomalies. We are talking about large sums of money - hundreds of thousands of euro. We have had tribunals for less. This could become a major political issue. It would be appropriate for some time to be set aside for statements on the matter to allow the party president and party treasurer, who are Members of this House, to account for what has been going on and for there to be responses. I strongly believe that accountability should not just be for Government parties. This is public money, and public money needs to be minded. Our electoral laws underpin our democracy and must be upheld. This matter should get the attention of the House, and we should hear statements from the president of Sinn Féin and the party treasurer as to what exactly has been going.

See this speech in context