Ban on corporate donations to include trade unions

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS from trade unions to the Labour Party will be included in the Government’s ban on corporate donations, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has told the Dáil.

Mr Gilmore said change was being implemented. “The Government has decided that political donations from corporate bodies will be brought to an end. That will, obviously, include the bringing to an end of donations from trade unions.”

Mr Gilmore was replying to Fianna Fáil deputy leader Brian Lenihan who said the matter of political donations had been referred to in the Government’s legislative programme published on Tuesday.

He asked the Tánaiste to clear up the confusion as to whether trade union contributions would be included.

“This is an important question if we are talking about transparency in public life and removing sources of influence in politics which are corporate in character.”

Mr Gilmore said the recommendations made in the Moriarty report, including the central one regarding the bringing to an end of corporate donations, would be proceeded with.

There were also recommendations relating to whistleblowing and so on and they would be proceeded with in the course of time, he added.

Mr Gilmore said the publication of the legislative programme within four weeks of the Government’s formation represented a new departure and a significant advance on what had happened on the last three occasions when governments published it almost four months into their term of office.

He said job creation was the main priority listed in the programme and that the jobs’ budget would be introduced next month.

“The detail of how many jobs it is intended to support, and the precise measures to provide and support the provision of jobs, will be contained in that budget statement,” he added.

Mr Gilmore said the Government had yet to decide on the timing of its referendum to abolish the Seanad.