This debate has gone on for three days and there are probably 1,000 reasons for any Member of this House to declare lack of confidence in the Government. What is confidence? Basically it is trust, and it is now quite clear that the vast majority of the people, in opinion polls and by assessment over the last number of days, clearly do not have confidence in this Administration. Not only do they not have confidence in the Government but they have almost none either in the political and economic [1012] system. The foundation of our economy has been rocked by scandals in recent weeks. I had hoped that at least the Progressive Democrats, whose core value initially was to restore public confidence, to be mould breakers, would have tried to give a sense of honour and would have supported the ethics of good government. However, that has not happened. We had that opportunity six months ago when the Labour Party produced an ethics Bill which would have made it mandatory for Members to make a disclosure of interests, which would require gifts to individual Ministers to be public property if they were valued at over 200 and which would require disclosure of all political funding of political parties, but the Bill was voted down by Fianna Fil and the Progressive Democrats. I see in the agreement which they cobbled together in the last couple of days, adding to the crisis facing the country in economic terms and mass unemployment, that there is a reference to a declaration of material interests. Apparently this will come into effect in September 1992, to give adequate time for anybody to divest himself of anything they might not like to come to light. Fundamentally, the people are fed up with politics and politicians--

The people are sick of the machinations of Government. The political profession has been sullied in recent weeks.
I now want to talk about my own area of responsibility. There was talk about local government reform. The Local Government Act which was passed in this House is a sham as it tightens central control. Apparently the Barrington report on the sub-county structures will be implemented if we can pay for the recommendations. Many local councillors, especially in urban areas, will have a lot to say about that. There is still a crisis in housing and there is no material relief for those on the endless housing [1013] queues up and down the country. County roads are also in a disastrous state.
The Government have now grasped a few principles. They will now look at the issue of voting rights for emigrants, a measure they voted down in the last 12 months when the Labour Party produced a Bill in the House. There is a token comment about health care in the new agreement. The Minister knows the effort that went into the Child Care Bill which has yet to be implemented. There are no resources in any health board area to implement it. There is no provision for care or accommodation for the mentally handicapped; acute services are in a disastrous condition. The elderly are still waiting for the implementation of the provisions of the Health (Nursing Homes) Act to allow them to live the latter years of their lives in dignity. It is laughable to read in the agreed programme that the Government are committed to developing the health services to ensure equality of access, irrespective of means. That is patently the opposite of what they did for the last two years.
I hope that some good can come out of the fiasco of the last few days and that a system of democratic accountability will be brought into place in this House.


