Senator wants candidates to sign ethics pledge

Fianna Fáil senator Averil Power called for candidates for public office to sign up to a legally-binding ethics pledge which could be monitored by an independent electoral commission.

Her comments came as academic Elaine Byrne suggested that whistleblowers needed to receive recognition for their work.

Both were speaking at the MacGill Summer School in Donegal while debating tribunal reports.

Ms Power said fines or sanctions could be set for those who breached any standards. “The days of TDs, senators, or the other public representatives being able to lawyer up in order to dodge legitimate questions have to be ended,” she said.

“That must apply whether they are scruffy-looking new deputies, or sitting taoisigh.”

She said her own party had been hurt by the damning findings in the Mahon Tribunal planning report, and insisted ordinary party members never sought one cent working in politics.

The Seanad spokeswoman on education criticised the Coalition for its inadequate response to the Moriarty probe, the inquiry into the sale of the State’s second mobile phone licence.

“To this day, the Taoiseach still refuses to say if he accepts the findings of the Moriarty Tribunal. In his Dáil speech on the report he never once mentioned Denis O’Brien [the businessman criticised in the report].”

Criticising the laws governing ethics in Leinster House, she said: “I think it is absurd that being declared bankrupt disqualifies you from continuing to hold your seat but major expense-fiddling and tax fraud do not.”

Ms Byrne called for acknowledgement of whistleblowers, such as an annual reception at Áras an Uachtaráin.

She described a legal threat she had received from Denis O’Brien after writing a newspaper story about the businessman and the Moriarty Tribunal report.

Ms Byrne said the threat was sent to stop her writing.

She said it was important there was a space for dissenting voices in society.

Michael Smith of An Taisce said the Mahon Tribunal had cost €250m, which was too much and had not prevented bad planning.

He said none of the “tribunal villains” mentioned in the Mahon and Moriarty reports had been prosecuted.

It was “very strange” no action was taken against former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry and that no action for perjury was brought against former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.