Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

The jailing of Ray Burke for tax evasion has already been raised. However, I wish to raise the matter of the debate that took place in 1997 when Ray Burke was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs. I believed then that the Taoiseach made a serious error of judgment. While the Taoiseach now claims the benefit of hindsight, in 1997 he had the benefit of Mr. Albert Reynolds's experience as Taoiseach. Former Taoiseach, Deputy Albert Reynolds, decided for various reasons not to appoint Ray Burke to a ministerial position. It is interesting that in the past few days Mr. Reynolds has expressed those reservations again. At the time, the Taoiseach was critical of Deputy John Bruton and the other Opposition leaders who questioned this appointment. They have now being proved right. The Taoiseach claimed people were hounding Ray Burke out of a ministerial position. The Taoiseach made a serious error of judgment. He should accept this, instead of now trying to muddy the waters about what actually happened.

Many Members will recently have received their ESB bills, which they should question seriously. Several years ago, a regulator was appointed to decide on various electricity price increases and to determine the factors behind them. Over the past four years, the energy regulator has allowed the ESB to increase its charges by 45%. This is a phenomenal amount of money. Every time the ESB requests a price increase, which it has done every year in the past four, the regulator puts up his hands and grants the increases. We speak of the liberalisation of the electricity market. As it has not happened, it is a farce. Full liberalisation of the market is to take place in February. Members should not hold their breath for any significant decrease in electricity costs.

Rather than commissioning another report, of which there are already many, it is incumbent on the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Noel Dempsey, to inform the House as to how he intends to tackle this situation. We are losing competitiveness in the marketplace. Not only are business consumers concerned, so too are domestic consumers, hammered by these charges. The Minister must not put up his hands and surrender to the energy regulator. He must inform the House as to how he intends to reduce electricity prices.