Urgent need to address Callely expenses - Labour

SEANAD REPORT:THE ISSUE of expenses claimed by Fianna Fáil Senator Ivor Callely should be dealt with as a matter of urgency by the members' interests committee of the House, Alex White (Lab) said.

Concerns about the impact of the expenses controversy on the profession of politics were voiced by several members. Eugene Regan (FG) said there should be an inquiry “as to whether any other member of the House has acted in this way”. Frances Fitzgerald, Fine Gael leader in the House, suggested Mr Callely be given an opportunity to explain to the Seanad the circumstances surrounding media reports on his expenses.

Rónán Mullen (Ind) said while they should not rush to commentary, neither should they hesitate to “tell it as it is”. “Undoubtedly, there has been such a culture in politics . . . The public are judging that and, sadly, I hear people talking about the dwindling respect for politicians,” he said.

Joe O’Toole (Ind) said Senators were constitutionally obliged to ensure that they maintained the integrity of the office.

Asking for the guidance of the chair on how matters should proceed, Mr O’Toole said if they walked away from this, they could be going down the road of Westminster, resulting in an external ethical body being established to instruct senators on how to run their business.

Mr White said he understood that the members’ interest committee could raise the matter itself. Mr Moylan agreed.

Meanwhile, referring to the killing on Monday of at least 10 pro-Palestinian activists in international waters at the hands of the Israeli navy, Feargal Quinn (Ind) said he thought it was an understandable situation for Israel to say it was not going to allow ships to go into Gaza without being examined by them. The Israelis had offered a method by which that could be done, he said.

He was reacting to a catalogue of criticism by fellow senators of the action taken by Israel.

Mark Daly (FF) said he and two other Oireachtas members had been due to board the Turkish ship that had been attacked. “Due to the actions of the Cypriot authorities we were prevented from leaving, [with the authorities] stating it was against their strategic interests . . . to assist myself and other parliamentarians . . . from joining the flotilla.”