Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As he has pointed out, it was in September 2008 at a statutory meeting of Limerick County Council that the sale of a property in Patrickswell was approved and sold following a transparent and open sales process that was open to all and advertised in the local press, like any other land for sale. The Minister of State was not a member of the council in 2008 because he had been elected to this House in May 2007.

It is important the full story is told in all of this. At the outset of this matter, the full story was not told. Deputy Cairns has referenced the planning questions that were raised initially in The Ditch. When I first read the article in The Ditch, I got the distinct impression the application went in on under a false name. I finished the article with the distinct impression there was a false advertisement put in a newspaper. Both impressions were false, but very strong innuendo was left out there. That is how the article was deliberately written. It had more to do with undermining character and reputation than anything else. That deserves scrutiny by the House too. We should look at how these campaigns are developing and how they are orchestrated. I do not believe that this House should be a slave to or facilitating political campaigns-----

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