The Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, has urged anyone with information on bribery or corruption in the planning process to make it known to the Flood tribunal.
Asked if he believed corruption was an endemic feature of land rezoning, he said: "I hope not. Flood has sent out a very strong signal to anyone contemplating anything unsavoury that they are not going to get away with it."
Mr Cullen said he did not believe corruption was widespread. "But the possibility of even a few bad apples in the barrel can cause serious damage to the body politic. The public must have full confidence in the planning process", he declared.
Asked whether an impartial zoning commission should take charge of decisions on land rezoning, the Minister said there were "many different views on how we should proceed, but I'm not convinced a central board is the best way forward".
He pointed out that the Flood tribunal's interim report had stated quite clearly that it was making no comment on reform of the planning laws at this stage. But his Department had not waited for the tribunal to complete its deliberations.
"The Ethics in Public Office Act represents a substantial change in making people more accountable," Mr Cullen said. "Local democracy has a very important function. The issue is really one about transparency and openness."
Asked specifically about rezoning in Meath and Kildare, he noted that the Flood tribunal was still sitting. "If anyone has suspicions about wrongdoing, bribery or corruption, the appropriate forum is there to deal with these matters," he said.
