Bill to regulate political donations to be presented

The Electoral (Amendment) (Moriarty Tribunal) Bill 2015, to be presented in Dáil Éireann by Ms Creighton today, claims to implement the outstanding recommendations of the Moriarty Tribunal.

The tribunal, officially called the Tribunal of Inquiry into certain Payments to Politicians and Related Matters, was established in 1997 and issued its final report in early 2011.

Ms Creighton’s proposed bill would force politicians to report their donations every three months, as well as compel donors to reveal financial or commercial interests which may be material to the context of their donation.

Ms Creighton said public trust in the political system had been eroded and “very little has come” of past efforts to address the problems.