IT IS time for the Government to reform political funding. The public has become upset and disillusioned by corruption in the planning process and the unethical behaviour of some politicians. Voters require assurance that things will change. And if negotiations between the Green Party and Fianna Fáil on a revised programme for government are to mean anything, they must address this fundamental issue.
For the past number of years, the government-appointed Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) has called for reform of the funding process to make it more transparent. It also asked for permission to carry out preliminary investigations into allegations of corrupt political behaviour. Its recommendations were ignored. There is a sickness in Irish politics that pervades the system from county council to national level and this is reflected in a general unwillingness to punish unethical behaviour. This must change.
The latest report by Sipo records that disclosure of political donations has fallen to the lowest level since legislation was introduced. This is not because political parties are receiving less, but because donors are advised that contributions in excess of €5,078 will be made public. As a result, fewer than 20 donations exceeded this sum. The extent to which the law is being circumvented became evident in the general election of 2007 when, of the €12 million spent by the political parties, less than €2 million could be publicly traced. This is unacceptable.
This is also an obvious starting point for Minister for the Environment and Green Party leader John Gormley. There is a commitment in the programme for government to address the issue. Sipo is to be replaced by an independent electoral commission that will have responsibility for electoral registers, drawing boundaries and overseeing elections. But reform has been delayed. And no specific undertaking has been given to reform funding arrangements. Specifically, a recommendation by the Council of Europe that all political donations should be publicly recorded has not been adopted.
Reform is not just a matter for Government. The Opposition parties must play their part. A new independent commission should be empowered to conduct preliminary investigations in special cases and be granted more extensive oversight in relation to fundraising and election spending. The intolerable situation where some politicians raise far more money at election time than they are seen to spend must be brought to an end.