FUNDS totalling £180,000 were paid to the Fine Gael party by Mr Ben Dunne from 1987 to 1993.
In a statement early this morning, the Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader, Mr Bruton, said these contributions were sought and used to reduce the party's debt at the time.
For some of that period, Mr Michael Lowry was national fund raiser and was given the task of clearing Fine Gael's debt.
No contributions had been received from Mr Dunne since 1993, the statement added.
Fine Gael had never accepted money in return for promises of influence over public policy, said Mr Bruton.
This rule applied in the case of Mr Dunne's contributions.
Mr Bruton has asked the chairman of the Fine Gael parliamentary party, Mr Phil Hogan, to establish within the next 48 hours whether any member of the parliamentary party received personal donations from Dunnes Stores or members of the Dunne family in the last 10 years.
Earlier yesterday, Fine Gael had refused to reveal details of party funding saying these were confidential.
All donations whether from companies or members of the public were sought and given privately and "it is entirely a matter for the donor of such monies whether they wish to make contributions known in public".
Later, other political parties revealed details of funding from Dunnes Stores.
Mr Bruton said in "these exceptional circumstances", Fine Gael had decided to make the information available.
Meanwhile, the former senior Fianna Fail politician due to be named in today's issue of Phoenix has declined to comment on the magazine's claim that he was the beneficiary of more than £1 million donated to bank accounts in London by Mr Ben Dunne.
A spokeswoman for the former politician told The Irish Times yesterday he was "not making any comment" on the magazine's claim.
Reporters who went to his home seeking an interview were unsuccessful.
A German daily newspaper, Die Tageszeitung, was also expected to name the former politician today in a report from its Dublin correspondent, Ralf Sotscheck.
It has been widely reported that a Price Waterhouse report carried out for Dunnes Stores states that at least four separate payments were made to the former politician over a six to nine month period in 1990-1991.
Fianna Fail circles over the persistent rumours and speculation, and the former politician is expected to issue a statement denying improper financial dealings.
Yesterday three Fianna Fail Oireachtas members informed the party leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, that they had received contributions from Dunnes Stores.
Mr Ahern last night declined to name the people but was satisfied that any finding received was used for decision purposes, was "legitimate" and was not of a significant amount.
He had earlier given his parliamentary, party colleagues until 6 p.m. last night to inform him of personal contributions from Dunnes Stores.
The parliamentary Labour Party was yesterday told by the Minister for Finance, Mr Quinn, that Mr Ben Dunne personally donated £15,000 to the party for the presidential campaign in 1990.
Labour TDs and senators have been told they must inform the leadership of personal donations from Dunnes Stores.
Fianna Fail officials also trawled through party records over the past three general elections but could find no evidence of contributions from Dunnes.
One of the three people who did benefit from contributions is understood not to have actually received money, although he is believed to be named in the Price Waterhouse report on how business was conducted in the company when Mr Ben Dunne was chief executive.
The other two received financial contributions, one of which was said by Mr Ahern to be "totally insignificant".
The other Oireachtas member produced records showing he received contributions over three general elections.
Mr Ahern said it was legitimate funding and all the money was spent on elections.
The Fianna Fail Chief Whip, Mr Dermot Ahern, said the party leader "had to deal with the lowest common denominator" in asking his parliamentary colleagues if any of them had received Dunnes funding or contributions "directly or non directly".