Martin Conway (Fine Gael)

I welcome the fact that all parties have accepted the findings of the Mahon tribunal. I genuinely feel sorry for the thousands of people involved in the major political parties who have dedicated their lives to politics and who were let down by a small group of corrupt politicians. The latter effectively destroyed the reputation of politics.

I agree in principle with much of what Senator Crown stated. Had actions such as those he suggests been taken a long time ago, we would probably be in a very different position. However, I contend that we were right to spend €300 million to ensure that our descendants will read the correct version of Irish history and not an incorrect one. If the Mahon tribunal has done one good thing it has been to ensure that the history books will be written correctly and that the record will be kept straight. Until people are put behind bars, however, the members of the current generation who have been so badly let down by those in whom they placed their trust will remain of the view that the Mahon tribunal has not served its purpose. I call on the Garda Commissioner and those around him to ensure that all resources will be made available to those carrying out the investigation into this matter in order that criminal prosecutions will be brought, as a matter of urgency, against the people who were named and shamed by the Mahon tribunal. Justice must be seen to take its course.

There was much which the Mahon tribunal could have investigated had it had the necessary remit. The entire west coast has been completely destroyed by property development of the most outrageous kind. There have been all sorts of rumour and speculation about the county in which I live, Clare, but none of this can be proven because no one is in possession of the facts. Some of the developments that have taken place in seaside resorts in County Clare are both disgraceful and appalling. Tax designation schemes, which went against everything that is right and which favoured the rich, were used to facilitate developments that should never have proceeded. The planning process facilitated the type of development which has absolutely destroyed our coast. We have a most wonderful landscape in this country but, unfortunately, it has been polluted by bad, poor-quality development that took place in the 1990s and the early to mid-2000s and which should never have been allowed to proceed.

I am sure that one would be obliged to question the integrity of those who made a number of key decisions in respect of the type of developments to which I refer. I do not just refer to politicians in this regard; I am also talking about planners and other officials. There was so much money flying around during the period in question that it was possible to almost buy anything. We are in a recession at present but perhaps that is what is required to bring back some dignity to this country. During a recession, money cannot buy one everything that one wants.

What happened in this country in the recent past was appalling. I contend that the Mahon report is merely one chapter of the book which could be written. Unfortunately, we possess neither the resources nor the capability to carry out the type of forensic investigation required and which I would like to see happen into the events which occurred in the recent past. I am a realist and I acknowledge that such an investigation is just not practical. I recall many people, including one famous politician, stating that we need to draw a line in the sand. I regret that at this stage we do probably need to try to move on. The planning legislation that has been enacted has improved the situation to a significant degree. Had many of the checks and balances that are now in place been there before, it is probable that we would not be in the kind of mess in which we now find ourselves.

We must do everything possible, including introducing new legislation, to ensure that adequate prison sentences will be handed down. As legislators, we must do whatever is necessary in order to ensure that there will never be a recurrence of the events that are the subject of the Mahon tribunal report. People need to go to prison for their part in those events. Until this happens, the people will be of the view that the Mahon tribunal has not served its purpose, namely, to put those who are corrupt behind bars. I would like the House to revisit this matter six or 12 months from now. Hopefully, some action may have been taken by that time. Action is what people want.

I am of the view that politics in this country must undergo a fundamental change. I do not believe in skirting around the edges or engaging in a bit of window dressing. Clientelism, both large and small in nature, has become a major factor in politics and this must change. Such a change would probably require an alteration to the electoral system. I do not have the answers in this regard but I am confident that the constitutional convention which has been established will commence the debate that is required in respect of the matter to which I refer.

My final point relates to the media. I am of the view that media organisations must work with us. We all, including those in the media, have a responsibility to do the right thing. When major decisions relating to the future of this country are being made, the media needs to work with those elected to represent the citizens of this country.

I could speak for a long time on this issue because I feel so strongly about it. The Seanad has a key role to play in facilitating and fostering debates of this nature, particularly as they relate to the future of our country. I see the Mahon tribunal report as a starting point for reform in Ireland. Reform can only happen through action and there is no doubt that action is required. In that context, people must be placed behind bars and the political system in this country must be changed utterly.