The Public Offices Commission will shortly be publishing the list of donations in excess of £4,000 to the political parties in 2000. It is the fourth annual such statement under the Electoral Act 1997 and - as with the recently published donations to individual TDs, Senators and MEPs - it is now so accepted that it is unlikely to create much controversy. At the same time, the commission will publish details of how the £1 million paid, in various amounts, to the six big parties (FF, FG, Labour, PDs, SF and the Greens) from the Exchequer in 2000 was spent. The £2 million paid to party leaders does not yet come under the supervision of the commission.
Two other reports, due out next month, will be of more interest. One concerns the deputy leader of FG, Jim Mitchell, and the private poll showing him to be the most popular choice for party leader. It cost about £9,000 and was paid for by anonymous donors. The Electoral Act requires disclosure of all money, gift or service valued at over £500 from an individual and £100 given anonymously. The commission investigated the funding of the poll following a complaint from FF deputy, Sean Fleming.
The second investigation arises from complaints under the Ethics in Public Offices Act 1995 by Ruairi Quinn and Alan Dukes about Ned O'Keeffe and his business connections while he was a FF minister of state. The commission - the Ombudsman, Kevin Murphy; the Comptroller and Auditor General, John Purcell; the Ceann Comhairle, Seamus Pattison; the Clerk of the Dail, Kieran Coughlan; and the Clerk of the Seanad, Deirdre Lane - have been in correspondence with Mitchell and O'Keeffe and are nearly ready to report.