Greens reject criticism and say if FG wanted power, it needed SF

Reaction:Outgoing Green Party leader Trevor Sargent told the Dáil he had spoken to the Taoiseach about his personal finances and was confident they would be dealt with adequately at the Mahon tribunal.

"The issues that I have discussed with the Taoiseach are very relevant to the tribunal and will be dealt with at the tribunal satisfactorily, I believe," he said as Fine Gael deputy leader Richard Bruton criticised the Green Party for entering government with Fianna Fáil.

Mr Bruton derided Mr Sargent's comments about the Taoiseach's finances as "rich" and said that "we have never seen an explanation as to why the inconsistencies in Mahon don't tally with the Taoiseach's explanation".

He said the Greens had accused the Opposition as party leaders of failing to ask questions.

He added: "You have entered into this Government without resolving this issue and you are now saying that 'we looked into our own hearts and we're happy'."

During sharp exchanges, Mr Sargent said that Fine Gael and Labour did not want to be in government because if they did they should have talked to Sinn Féin.

He pointed out that former Fine Gael taoiseach John A Costello "wanted to be in government. He asked a man who was chief of staff of the IRA to serve as minister for foreign affairs.

"If you wanted to be in government you would have talked to Sinn Féin. You do not want to be in government."

Earlier Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte claimed that the Greens were only "guests in government" and he believed that the Taoiseach "is fast running out of luck and out of road.

"I don't know for how long this rickety coalition will last but I suspect that it is designed to survive its main architect.

"The growing assertiveness of the Finance Minister and the fact that he is being treated by the Taoiseach as if he were the head of a neighbouring state confirms the view that the Taoiseach may be taking his leave of us sooner than later," he added.

He said so many aspects of the programme for government were a Green-free zone. "The word 'review' appears in the document 56 times, the word 'examine' appears 23 times and the term 'consider' makes 14 appearances."

He said Mr Sargent had made plain on many occasions "that like 91 per cent of the Green voters, he was opposed to putting Fianna Fáil back in power.

"I respect the selfless decision of Deputy Sargent to resign his leadership. But there was another way for Deputy Sargent to honour his promise to the people. He could have refused to put Fianna Fáil back in government."