Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

The arrogance of Fianna Fáil on the issue of election spending, or any issue involving accountability, never ceases to amaze me. I question the party's self-proclaimed watchdogs on this issue. They seem to be there with a whimper, although I welcome some of the points made by Senator Dardis.

I take this opportunity to compliment the Standards in Public Office Commission on the excellent job it is doing. I appreciate that many of the 56 Members who overspent did so inadvertently because of the ruling of the High Court, but the number of Ministers and Ministers of State involved demonstrates the advantage of those positions to office holders.