RTÉ documentary leads to calls for tougher agency on corruption

There are calls for a stronger agency to be set up to deal with corruption.

The comments from the Social Democrats party, come in the wake of an

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A Fianna Fail Councillor has resigned from the party following last night's programme, in which he was filmed asking for an investment in his company in return for help with planning in Co Sligo.

Footage from RTÉ Investigations Unit: Standards in Public Office. Cllr Joe Queenan #RTEInvestigateshttps://t.co/KNHfeYELRU

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) December 7, 2015

Councillor Joe Queenan told an undercover reporter, posing for a fictitious wind farm developer, that he would act as a go-between the firm and Sligo County Council.

The TV report also showed former Fine Gael Councillor Hugh McElvaney of Monaghan, and Independent Donegal councillor John O'Donnell requesting money in return for help in getting planning permission for wind farms.

The Social Democrats have said the state bodies that are tasked with rooting out corruption are too fragmented.

Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy wants an amalgamation of agencies like the Standards in Public Office Commission and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

“We’ve lots of agencies that are doing good work,” said Deputy Murphy.

“Many of them are under resourced and could actually do, I think, better if they had a less fragmented approach.”

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