Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

It is on a sombre note that the Leader announced the Order of Business. We on this side of the House would also like to express our sincere condolences to the family of the late Mr. Barry. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

I will begin with good news for the Government and yesterday's jobs announcement. That has to be welcomed, particularly so given that it affects areas of County Galway which are experiencing high levels of unemployment and emigration. I commend the IDA, which is involved in a long lead-in time with many of these companies. The Government of the day always reaps the public rewards but none the less these are real jobs and it is heartening to hear the reaction from young people around Inverin who can now think about finding employment at home rather than having to emigrate like many of their friends and relatives.

The bad news, however, is that media reports have again drawn attention to the ongoing political donation saga. Without going into the details of today's newspaper reports about €850 per table fund-raising events in the constituency of the Leader of the House in Malahide, as an editorial in the Irish Independent stated, the Government's much vaunted commitment to ensuring that political donations are reduced practically to zero has yet to come to fruition. Perhaps the Leader can indicate when it is proposed to introduce legislation on-----