A Labour Party motion seeking a written report on representations relating to developments sought by Mr Tom Gilmartin in the late 1980s was passed by Dublin City Council last night.
The emergency motion asked the city manager to provide a report for the council's planning committee, which is meeting next week, of full details of "meetings, discussions or representations involving developers, officials and public representatives" in relation to the two sites in which Mr Gilmartin was interested at Quarryvale and Bachelor's Walk between 1988 and 1990.
Proposing the motion, Mr Sean Kenny (Lab) said this was a matter of public interest. "This motion is seeking to find out the facts. We need to establish the facts because this city council and its officials are being called into question," he said.
Mr Eric Byrne (Lab), seconding the motion, said that "horrendous questions" had been raised in last Sunday's Sunday Independent. "It would not have been known to us as public representatives that Mr Gilmartin would have been in touch with the Taoiseach and had a direct link into the planning committee," he said.
Mr Pat Carey (FF) said the first notice he had of the motion was when he read it in The Irish Times. There was no need for it, he said. "There is a tribunal. A simple request under the Freedom of Information Act would have elicited all the information requested here. The motion is very loosely worded. It is a pity there is another attempt to have another tribunal established."
Mr Brendan Brady (FG) said it was important that the message went out to scotch the perception that planning permission could be bought. The Green Party also supported the motion, as did Mr Sean O Cionnaith (Workers' Party) and Mr Tony Gregory (Independent).
It was passed without a vote.