The programme for Government commits to reviewing our electoral laws. Political parties, as the Taoiseach will know, receive substantial sums of taxpayers' money and are subject to strict rules on how it is expended and, importantly, how it is recorded. Last week Deputy Pearse Doherty told "Prime Time" that SIPO is not investigating Sinn Féin. On Thursday The Irish Times reported that SIPO is examining the party. On the following day, I believe, Deputy McDonald told The Irish Times that Sinn Féin's money was fully accounted for but admitted that her party had been questioned by SIPO over its declarations. If Deputy McDonald says her party's finances are all accounted for, surely she and Deputy Doherty, the party's treasurer since 2015, will have no problem addressing this issue in the House to allay the very serious concerns we all have with each new revelation. If they have nothing to hide, they should be able to debate the matter in the House. If it were any other party, I am sure we would have already had the debate. Can time be set aside for this important debate?

Last week The Ditch published an article on the business interests of Sinn Féin's finance director. He is more than a mere employee; he is one of the eight grey eminences who manage the Sinn Féin Party, North and South. He was the executor of the estate of William Hampton, the Englishman who left millions of pounds to Sinn Féin in the Republic of Ireland, only for the money to turn up in the accounts of Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland. It is a murky story of planning irregularities, substandard rental properties and cash businesses. It comes one week after it was reported that SIPO was examining irregularities in Sinn Féin's accounts in the order of hundreds of thousands of euro, according to an independent forensic accountant. I agree with Deputy Farrell that it is high time the president and the treasurer of Sinn Féin made a statement in the House to clear up this matter. It is far too serious for the House to ignore.