Never Again
Labour’s Plan to ensure improved standards in business and public life

Issued : Thursday 16 April, 2009

Never Again

Labour is committed to reforming public life, so that the interests of a golden circle are never again put before the interests of Ireland, her citizens and future generations. This is Labour's agenda for a merit society, where those in public life take responsibility for their actions; where transparency is the norm, not the exception; and where the public interest is at the heart of decision-making.

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Summary

  • Clean out the boards of the banks, and radically reform the banking sector.
  • Make good corporate governance the law, not a luxury by passing Labour's legislation that would oblige any company that wants to be listed on the Irish stock exchange to sign up to a binding code of good corporate governance.
  • Control land and property speculation by legislating for the purchase of land by the State at current use value plus 25 per cent, as recommended as far back as the Kenny report in 1973, and by ending all tax incentives and shelters related to property development.
  • End the link between big money and politics by radically reducing the amounts that can be donated to politicians and political parties, and lowering the threshold at which those donations have to be declared.
  • Legislate to regulate the practice of political lobbying, and introduce a two year 'cooling off period' during which senior civil servants or former Ministers may not lobby for a sector where they had previously been a decision-maker.
  • Introduce Whistleblowers Protection legislation to encourage transparency and protect those who speak out in the public interest - whether they work in the private or the public sector.
  • Extend Oireachtas powers of oversight and investigation, which will replace the need for costly tribunals.
  • Restore the Freedom of Information Act and extend it to a wider range of statutory bodies substantially funded by the Irish taxpayer, such as the Central Bank and the Gardaí.

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