79% disbelieve Burke on donation explanation

Four out of five voters - 79 per cent - do not believe Mr Ray Burke's explanation for the receipt of a cash donation of £30,000 in the 1989 general election, according to The Irish Times/MRBI poll. Some 73 per cent of Fianna Fail voters are among those who find Mr Burke's version of events unbelievable.

Nearly three-quarters of voters - 73 per cent - disagree with the Taoiseach's decision, which was reinforced in the Dail yesterday, not to refer the £30,000 payment to the new Moriarty tribunal. These are the main findings on questions relating to the McCracken Tribunal into Dunnes Stores payments to politicians and its successor, the Moriarty Tribunal, to be established shortly.

The poll comes as the Dail prepares to debate the terms of reference for a separate, new tribunal.

Conducted among a national quota sample of 1,000 voters last Saturday, the poll coincided with the first signals from the Taoiseach and Tanaiste that a new judicial inquiry might be required to investigate the contents of the planning letter between two builders, Mr Michael Bailey and Mr James Gogarty.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Burke, made a statement to the Dail on September 10th in which he said the payment of £30,000 in cash was made by someone he hadn't met before and was a contribution towards the election campaigning. Respondents were asked if, in their opinion, the explanation was believable or not.

Only 12 per cent of voters, among them 17 per cent of Fianna Fail and 17 per cent of Progressive Democrats supporters, think that the Minister's explanation is believable. ail voters, 88 per cent of Fine Gael voters, 89 per cent of Labour voters, 78 per cent of PD voters and 77 per cent of Others do not believe him.

Turning to the McCracken report, 70 per cent of voters, 64 per cent of Fianna Fail voters among them, were not surprised to find that the former Taoiseach, Mr Charles Haughey, had accepted payments from Mr Ben Dunne. Only 28 per cent of voters ail supporters among them, were surprised.

Some 59 per cent of voters were not surprised that the former Fine Gael Minister, Mr Michael Lowry, received payments from Mr Dunne; 54 per cent of Fine Gael supporters among them.