TAOISEACH BERTIE Ahern's indication that he wants to stay in office until 2012 has caused surprise in the Green Party, which believed up to now that Mr Ahern intended to hand over the reins of power earlier.
Questioned about Mr Ahern's declared intention this week to remain in office until 2012, Green Party leader John Gormley appeared to be surprised. "Well, I mean, I think the fact is, I think the Taoiseach has indicated he intends to step down. It's news to me that he said that. Did you say that he was going to serve out until then [ 2012]?"
Pressed, Mr Gormley replied: "Well, I believe, I believe that he has also pointed out that he intends to step down in the course of this particular five years of Government and, you know, that's a matter for the Taoiseach when he steps down. "And, you know, as I say again, it is important we allow the Mahon tribunal complete its work and we should not be making judgments until then," he said, before he presented the National Planning Awards in Dublin.
Meanwhile, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern, who delivered the most robust defence yet of the Taoiseach yet during a visit to Belfast on Wednesday, insisted yesterday that "Charles Haughey was a great politician".
Asked if Mr Haughey had not been shown to be corrupt, Mr Ahern, following a meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary of State Shaun Woodward said: "No, he wasn't."
During an official visit to Warsaw yesterday, the Taoiseach said he was not prepared to answer questions directly about a report that the Revenue Commissioners were writing to his former partner, Celia Larkin, in connection with receiving £30,000 for the purchase of a house.
However a spokesman for Mr Ahern said: "It was made clear at Mahon last week that he was not involved in the decision to assist Ms Larkin", adding that it "would be inappropriate to make comments on anyone's dealings with the Revenue".
Meanwhile, Ms Larkin declined to answer reporters' questions yesterday after she addressed a women-in-business seminar at the Limerick County Enterprise Board. Ms Larkin was giving a workshop on personal and business branding. She is the owner of the Beauty at the Blue Door salon at the Castletroy Park hotel in Limerick.
She also gives a number of public addresses and talks to women's groups about marketing, branding, motivation and confidence-building.
About 60 women attended yesterday's event.
Questioned about Ms Larkin's place on the National Consumer Agency board, Mr Gormley said: "I have to be honest, I know very little about this.
"I was just told about it just before I came out.
"What I would say is this is really a matter for the Fianna Fáil party. It has arisen."
The issue had arisen during the Mahon tribunal and so, therefore, it was a matter for Fianna Fáil - even though the National Consumer Agency is a State board.