TAOISEACH ENDA Kenny will today define his attitude to standards in public life at the start of a two-day Dáil debate on the Moriarty tribunal report.
A Fine Gael spokesman said Mr Kenny would give his reaction to the tribunal’s findings and specifically recommend the introduction of measures to implement the tribunal’s recommendations, including legislation on whistleblowers and a ban on corporate donations.
“He will be marking the publication as an occasion where we can draw a definite line under a culture that has no place in politics,” the spokesman said.
In its final report, published last week, the Moriarty tribunal found that then Fine Gael minister for communications Michael Lowry “secured the winning” of the 1995 mobile phone licence competition for Denis O’Brien’s Esat Digifone.
One of its central recommendations was that greater precautions ought to have been taken to segregate those conducting the evaluation of the process from those who might exert political influence.
The Dáil debate on the 2,300-page report begins this morning. A decision on who from the Government will take questions from TDs on the matter is to be made at today’s Cabinet meeting.
Intensive wrangling over the format of the debate is expected between Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe and Opposition whips, amid criticisms that Fine Gael Ministers will not be subject to questions on the criticisms made by the report of the party’s fundraising activities.
Mr Kenny’s spokesman would not be drawn on what the Taoiseach would say in relation to specific criticisms made by the tribunal about the party’s fundraising activities in the 1990s, particularly a donation of $50,000 from Telenor, part of the winning consortium for the licence competition.
The Government was accused yesterday by the Opposition of thwarting a meaningful examination of the tribunal.
Fianna Fáil’s spokesman accused the Coalition of trying to “close down” any discussion on the report.
“The priority from this new Government since publication of the report appears to have been to try and present it as a simple matter of one man making one bad [mistake].”
Mr Lowry, now an Independent TD for Tipperary North, also complained he was not being given adequate time to defend his integrity and his reputation. Mr Lowry has been allocated 30 minutes today but said he would need up to 50 minutes, in addition to an opportunity to answer questions.
While it is expected it will be the Labour Party’s Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte who will be nominated to answers questions from TDs on the report, a Government source said the final decision on this would be made at this morning’s Cabinet meeting, leaving open the possibility that it will be a Fine Gael Minister.
Mr Kehoe said last night that the Government would provide Mr Lowry with adequate time to give a full explanation. He also said Mr Lowry would also be afforded time to make a statement after the question and answer session tomorrow but not to answer questions himself.