Martin McAleese (Independent)

I thank the Minister of State for her attendance. It is almost one month since publication of the report of the Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments - the Mahon tribunal. The passage of time has not diminished the sense of shock at the implications of the report. In fact, the challenges posed by its findings grow deeper the closer they are examined. Many of the findings relate to individual cases, to some of which the Minister of State has referred. They give rise to significant concerns. However, several of the general findings are especially disturbing and I wish to comment on their wider implications.

The first finding is stated in paragraph 1.12 of the report: "The Tribunal's inquiries uncovered evidence of deep-rooted, systemic corruption in Irish public life". This statement demands our attention and should halt us in our tracks. It is expanded on in paragraph 1.21:

Given the existence of such rampant public corruption, the obvious question is why it was allowed to continue unabated. The short answer to that question is that it continued because nobody was prepared to do enough to stop it. This is perhaps inevitable when corruption ceases to become an isolated event and becomes so entrenched that it is transformed into an acknowledged way of doing business. Specifically, because corruption affected every level of Irish political life, those with the power to stop it were frequently implicated in it.

These findings reflect badly on public and political life. Rampant and systemic corruption is hardly the hallmark of a country that anyone wishes for himself or herself or his or her children. However, that is the truth, as found by the Mahon tribunal, and it is incumbent on us to face up to it.

One of the immediately concerning aspects is that the tribunal's inquiries and findings were confined by its the terms of reference to "certain planning matters and payments" within defined time periods and mostly in the Dublin area. Given the finding of systemic corruption in Irish public and political life, the obvious concern is that many more instances of corruption may be as yet undiscovered in other geographical areas, during other times, or in fields other than planning. The fact that the report took 15 years to complete and at a cost in excess of €300 million must also be a concern in terms of the message it sends to those who may currently be involved in corrupt practices or those who may be tempted to do so. Could the controversy over the length and cost of the Mahon tribunal give undeserved comfort to those engaging in corrupt practices, that there will not be an appetite for future investigations and that they may not as a result be called to account? We surely cannot allow that. For the findings of the report evidence a serious breach of the trust placed by the Irish people in our public and political structures. It will take a long time to repair this breach of trust. The lesson from this and other tribunal reports is that trust is no longer good enough. What is needed is high quality, effectively enforced regulation and oversight to ensure the proper and transparent functioning of the State's public and political structures. The immediate implementation of all of the report's recommendations would be a good starting point.

It would also be appropriate to consider whether a tribunal is the most efficient and cost effective way to deal with these issues or future allegations which might be made. Surely the key to exposing corrupt practices is by following the money trail. As such, would these issues not more appropriately be dealt with by An Garda Síochána and the Revenue Commissioners, if necessary by better equipping both bodies in terms of forensic accounting capabilities and resources?

The public also have a role to play in recreating a more ethical public system and culture. One of the greatest safeguards for the future would be the development of a culture of integrity where there is no public tolerance of corruption or circumvention of the law. Creating a culture of this kind is an ongoing struggle and relies on the personal integrity of each and every one of us in our daily lives.

The tribunal has done its job. We now need to act on the "deep-rooted", "systemic", "rampant" and "entrenched" corruption which the report identifies in Irish public and political life. Anything other than a full and urgent response from the political system to these overarching challenges will only serve to engender public cynicism at the very time when we most need a sense of togetherness.