Roche ‘not in favour’ of lifting cap on corporate donations

ENVIRONMENT Minister Dick Roche signalled yesterday that he is personally not in favour of lifting the cap on corporate donations in politics.

Although the minister did not rule out raising the donations ceiling before the next general election, he said it hasn’t been a priority and he did not think expensive campaigns added to the political landscape.

Currently political parties are only allowed to accept donations from one source of up to €6,348 in any given year, while the limit for an individual politician is €2,539 per donor.

Mr Roche’s predecessor, Martin Cullen, clearly indicated last year that he intended to amend the Electoral Act to allow a substantial increase in corporate donations, but did not act before leaving the Department of the Environment.

After Fianna Fáil chalked up debts of €1.5 million following three costly electoral campaign in 2002, figures within the party believe a change will be made by the Government in the coming years to allow for larger donations to be received.

Addressing the Ógra Fianna Fáil conference at the weekend, Mr Roche said the party had been damaged by corruption in the past but was now repairing its reputation.

“Our party was besmirched by the people in the shiny suits. But we are re-establishing, under Bertie Ahern, what this party was and is. Fianna Fáil is the real party of the workers,” he said.

Speaking afterwards to the Irish Examiner, the minister said he did not have any “ideological hang-up” about the donations cap and that politicians were “paid well enough now”.

“I have no problem with the ceiling. I run very modest election campaigns. I don’t think very big election campaigns add anything to political life anyway,” he said.

Rather than spending large amounts on election campaigns, the minister said he was a believer in door-to-door canvassing and leaflet drops.

“That is the essence of political life,” he said.

Mr Roche said his priorities were planning, housing, waste management and the performance of local authorities and said he had not even thought about the corporate donations issue.