Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this report – it is high time that we did so. I pay tribute to the work of Mr. Justice Feargus Flood and his team and wish the judges recently appointed to the tribunal well.

The interim report sets out, in graphic detail, one of the most shameful episodes in Irish political life. It is an episode which one would like to say is over, but it is not given the reporting and investigation of corruption in planning in Dublin County Council and the decisions made by Mr. Ray Burke during his tenure as a public representative. We can only comment on what has been investigated so far. This episode has had an undermining effect on Irish politics and our role as public representatives – there is no point in pretending otherwise. Unless we accept that this is the case we will not move on or be able to repair the damage done to the perception of public representatives – councillors, Members of the Oireachtas and Ministers – with power to make decisions and, as we know, misuse that power.

We must examine this matter very carefully. I have noticed that some members of Fianna Fáil have an ability to distance themselves from the events of the Ray Burke era. The culture in which he thrived was the culture of the party. The dogs in the street openly discussed his decisions and activities and what was happening within Dublin County Council. It went on openly, but it appears nobody believed it until Mr. Justice Flood put it in writing. Mr. Burke was appointed Minister eight times by successive leaders of Fianna Fáil. He was most recently appointed by the Taoiseach at a time when the noise from the public and the reports in the media had reached such a crescendo that even he could not ignore it. The manner in which Mr. Burke was appointed Minister does not represent the high point of the Taoiseach's career.

Trust in politics, particularly in local representatives, has gone. Trust in local representatives to make decisions regarding planning has certainly gone. Rezoning is a debased currency. While we might like to hope this might change, there is no sign of it doing so. There is a perception that rezoning decisions made openly and democratically were made against a background of favours. I have noticed this in my area. There is absolutely no evidence to support this, but it is the legacy we now face. How it is addressed is a very difficult question. As a public representative, I would like to think we can be trusted to make decisions. We are elected by the people and, when we make decisions, attempt, as far as possible, to look at the benefits that will result. The public does not have the same attitude to it. We will have to work very hard to change this.