The time was fast coming for the authors of an Irish Times article on land rezonings to speak out or shut up forever, Mr Joe Doyle (FG) told the Seanad.
Speaking in the debate on the establishment of a tribunal of inquiry into planning matters, he hoped the tribunal would examine a series of articles published in The Irish Times in July 1993.
One article, by Frank McDonald and Mark Brennock, had stated: "We met a businessman involved in the property world who told us that he personally handed a white envelope containing £2,500 to a councillor whom he named in a successful effort to persuade him to change his vote on a key zoning decision."
Mr Doyle hoped the authors of the articles would co-operate with the tribunal. Now was the time for them to speak out or shut up forever.
The Seanad agreed the establishment of the tribunal.
Mr Joe Costello (Labour) said they had seen what had happened with the Catholic Church as a result of the Father Brendan Smyth case and other scandals. The nation had been shocked that standards being preached were being breached by some of the preachers.
As a result, the church was experiencing a crisis of confidence over the issue of trust.
Politicians should learn from this. As people who had a responsibility to run the country and mould structures of society, there was an onus on them to demonstrate clearly that they were not abusing the system.
Dr Mary Henry (Ind) said it was obvious that one of the greatest causes of distress to former Minister Ray Burke and his family was the insinuation made in the media that his father, the late Mr Paddy Burke, who was a psychiatric nurse in St Ita's Hospital, had somehow used his position in the sale of land belonging to a patient there.
She hoped the tribunal could investigate this matter so that the late Mr Burke's reputation would be made clear for his family's sake.
"It is important, not just for the late Mr Burke, but for all those who look after mentally incapacitated patients that this matter is cleared up. It is very serious if allegations are made that a person in the caring profession used their professional position for personal gain."