Identity of one of the eight donors revealed

Opposition questions: The identity of Mick Collins, one of the Taoiseach's eight donors, was revealed when Mr Ahern took Opposition questions.

Replying to Labour's Róisín Shortall, Mr Ahern said: "Mick Collins is a long friend of mine, a long, long friend of mine. He is an engineer by profession, a very likeable and good person."

Pressed further by Ms Shortall, who represents Dublin North West, the Taoiseach, amid interruptions and laughter said: "I am surprised you don't know him. You know where he is . . . He has been in the same place as you and I used to spend a fair bit of time, Deputy."

Asked where Mr Collins came from, Mr Ahern appeared not to reply above the noise of the ongoing interruptions.

Damien English (FG, Meath) said that Mr Ahern had been described as a very clever and cunning person.

"Does he genuinely believe that these people gave him money because he is a nice chap or because they thought he had no money . . ? He went to Manchester for six matches in a year when he had no money . . ."

Mr Ahern said that, over the years, he had assisted in bringing in rules about how members of the House handled their affairs.

These had helped the image of politics. "I have complied with those rules as well. I would not like to see the political profession trying to wrap themselves up in cotton wool and it being seen that everything is being done in a purish fashion . . . that you could not take a loan from friends or from people.

"I do not think we should allow our profession to get into that, because, quite frankly, I do not see anything wrong with that.

"I will tell you what will happen in the future. It is one thing to try and clean up huge donations and a small number of people giving sizeable donations to either my party or any other party . . . to bring in rules about what we can take and how we record it and that.

"I have done all that, too, and I am quite happy to do that. I think if we get into a position that if you are in politics . . . that you can have no friend . . . that we get into a position . . . there won't be too many other young people coming into this House, that we will damage politics.

"We should be open, fair and accountable. And I have been. I have said today, perhaps it was an error. And it is an error, and I accept it is an error. But I don't think we should get ourselves into boxes and that, forever more, nobody will go near politics."