Disclosure by the Standards in Public Office Commission that Dublin North Central TD, Ivor Callely, raised almost €70,000 in political donations last year has become a matter of public disquiet. It should be addressed by the Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader, Bertie Ahern, as a matter of urgency. At the time the money was raised, Mr Callely held an influential position as a Minister of State and donations came largely from the business community. Why did Mr Callely need to fundraise so aggressively when he is limited by law to spending less than €26,000 in a general election campaign?
There is no suggestion Mr Callely acted illegally in organising "golf classics", where contributions averaged about €1,700. But the sheer scale of the operation dwarfed anything that had gone before. To put it in perspective, the former minister raised almost seven times more than all the TDs from the other Dáil parties. The disclosure has drawn attention to weaknesses within the current legislation. And it is likely to ignite a debate on political fundraising and spending in advance of an election campaign.
Mr Callely is no stranger to controversy. Last December, he was forced to resign as minister of state when it became known that, in 1991, while chairman of the Eastern Health Board, his home had been decorated free of charge by John Paul Construction which had then been engaged in a multi-million refurbishment programme of the EHB headquarters. The service could not qualify as a political donation. And in spite of protests that he had done nothing wrong, the minister's resignation was sought and secured by Mr Ahern.
At the time Mr Callely became embroiled in these controversies, he had moved to the Department of Transport. A number of officials applied for transfers rather than continue working with him. His style of management was seen as arrogant and self-serving. And this fundraising blitz reflects some of that approach.
Elected representatives should be permitted to raise money to fund their election campaigns. But the donations should reflect election costs. Building up so-called "war chests", as Ray Burke once did, must not be allowed. Ethics legislation requires that all such donations be paid into a special account and that withdrawals should be for political purposes only. But the Standards in Public Office Commission cannot investigate possible breaches of the law in the absence of a formal complaint. Two years ago, it asked that this regulation be changed. Nothing happened. The Ethics Act should now be amended by the Government. And political fundraising by individuals should be circumscribed.