McDowell dismisses claims of Harney rift

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has moved to dampen reports of a spat within the Progressive Democrats and has rejected claims from a Fianna Fáil Minister that the row was damaging Government.

Minister for Communications Noel Dempsey said yesterday he believed the row between Mr McDowell and Tánaiste Mary Harney was distracting from the business of government.

"Anything like that takes your eye off the ball. We've had it in Fianna Fáil over the years. I was involved in some of it myself," Mr Dempsey told TV3. "It certainly has the effect of distracting from the business of government when you're involved in anything directly like that."

But speaking at the launch of a new Probation Service reform programme in Dublin, Mr McDowell insisted there was no disagreement between himself and his party leader.

"Both myself and Mary Harney . . . are completely united in where we are going, personally, where our party is going and, above all, where we are going in Government," he said. "There is no division, there is no tension, there is no agenda between us except to do our jobs."

He said neither he nor Ms Harney taken their eye off the ball, as suggested by Mr Demspey.

"I don't believe that Minister Dempsey was in any way criticising me. I think what he's saying is . . . that the top priority is serving the people and keeping in focus and keeping our goals in mind. That's what he's about and I agree with him," the Minister said.

"As far as I'm concerned, there is no instability, either in the Progressive Democrats or in the Government. Myself and Mary Harney are 100 per cent committed to what we are doing. There is no difference between us, full stop."

Mr McDowell refused to comment further, insisting he was "saying nothing" about internal party matters. He urged those within the party who had been leaking information to the press to desist. "Internal matters of the party are internal matters and I reiterate my appeal to everyone in the Progressive Democrats to keep internal matters internal," he said.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny yesterday pounced on the PDs' internal difficulties "The Government is no longer governed by a two-party coalition but by a federation of factions," he said. "We have an unstable Government in battle with itself."