Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for being with us. The Mahon tribunal investigated planning corruption in Dublin between 1997 and 2012. The tribunal cost more than €160 million, consisted of 589 days of public hearings and taking evidence and had 427 witnesses. One might ask what the taxpayer has to show for all of this work and all this money and these hours of investigation? We know that court decisions relating to 12 named persons, including a former Minister, developers and a Dublin City assistant manager were subsequently quashed. Hard-hitting and clear recommendations have been made in the report by the tribunal. We need to hear how they are progressing. Can the Minister of State explain why some of the key recommendations of the Mahon tribunal report have not been implemented? For example, it recommended the disclosure of the identities of all those making political donations in excess of €55. That is not my choice nor my recommendation, but it is what Mr. Justice Mahon said to a Deputy. The report also refers to various thresholds concerning donations. That is an area on which the tribunal has made strong recommendations. I want to hear what the Government is going to do about it.

I am aware of the Corruption Bill, and no doubt the Minister of State is also. I recognise that it is not the Minister of State's responsibility nor the responsibility of his Department. There was a direct effect following Ireland's failure to implement recommendations in terms of corruption. We know that Ireland was recently placed 19th in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index for 2016. It was expressly stated in its findings that, "The failure of the Government to implement the Mahon tribunal and the Moriarty tribunal recommendations was at the very heart of this change". That is profound, and it is something that we need to address.

The Mahon tribunal uncovered extraordinary information about widespread corruption in the planning process, and that infected the planning process for decades. That was a legacy we had in the past. The Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Coveney, and the Minister of State, brought in the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016, which has been passed by both Houses. How is the Minister of State going to implement the recommendations that have come from the Mahon tribunal? Can he advise the House of his plans to establish an independent planning regulators office? This was part of the programme for Government. The Minister of State has a lot of work on his plate. The key issues I want to identify today are the implementation of the recommendations of the Mahon tribunal - I would like a timeframe for that - and how it is intended to proceed with the independent planning regulator.