Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Noel Ahern, to the House and I thank the Minister, Deputy Cullen, for the contribution he made at the start of this debate. We certainly owe a profound debt of gratitude to Mr. Justice Flood on the interim report he has produced. He has established very clearly in that report the facts regarding happened in respect of certain planning matters and payments.

Politics are about public service first and foremost and not about personal profit. They are not about power for the sake of power but about people doing business honestly and respecting the trust of the communities who have elected members to a particular forum.