Government criticised over donations

NEITHER OF the Government parties has declared a single corporate donation for years, the Dáil has heard, amid claims the body regulating political donations is “toothless” because it cannot investigate complaints.

Independent TD for Kildare North Catherine Murphy said during elections there were candidates with big billboards, three or four headquarters and full-page advertisements in the newspapers, “yet they say they have spent less than other candidates. You know that can’t be possible and that the declaration can’t be right, but if you complain about it, you are told it’s sour grapes”.

Ms Murphy said the Standards in Public Office Commission was toothless, because it did not have an enforcement arm that could act when a complaint was made.

“In the past nine years, the Fine Gael party has not declared a single corporate donation, while the Labour Party has not declared any corporate donations in the past four years. It appears only the smaller parties make declarations.”

Ms Murphy said “enforcement must mean something and declarations must be about more than form-filling”.

She was speaking during a highly charged debate on Fianna Fáil’s 29th Amendment of the Constitution (No 2) Bill, to ban on corporate donations.

Labour Dublin South East TD Kevin Humphreys said “none of my friends can open up a chequebook and hand over €100 or €150” in donations. They were “huge sums for people living in Pearse Street and Ringsend who are dependent on social welfare”.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, who introduced the legislation, said a complete ban on corporate donations “can only be implemented by amending the Constitution”.

He said there were two differences between “Fine Gael’s fundraisers at the K Club and in Cricklewood and the Galway tent”. The Galway tent stopped four years ago. “Second, journalists could see who was there. It takes some neck for Fine Gael Ministers to talk about developers, while raising funds from the same people.”

Hitting out at Labour, he said “the Tánaiste claimed not to remember the name of his first party. He cannot deny the overwhelming evidence of massive illegal fundraising, including robbery and counterfeiting, that was used to fund that party for nearly 20 years.”

Defending measures introduced by the last government, Mr Martin said “our donation, declaration and spending limits are much lower” than those in most countries. “Many of the donations Sinn Féin has received in Northern Ireland over the past 14 years could not legally be made in this jurisdiction.” Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald said Fianna Fáil “clearly feel the need to purge themselves of the past”.