Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has paid tribute to the "very significant" achievements of former taoiseach Charles Haughey.
Speaking to Irish journalists in London yesterday, Mr McDowell said the contributions from all sides of the Dáil on Wednesday left "no doubt" that Mr Haughey's was "a very significant record of achievement".
He insisted the occasion of the former taoiseach's funeral was not the time to assess Mr Haughey's contribution to history. "As I said [ on Wednesday] there will be occasion in the future for passionate and dispassionate judgments about him."
Asked about former Labour leader Ruairi Quinn's view that if Mr Haughey had been treated like an ordinary citizen he would have been jailed for perjury, Mr McDowell told The Irish Times: "Those are issues on which Mr Quinn is entitled to his opinion But I do not think this is the week for any of us to comment on those issues."
Mr McDowell also said the State funeral for Mr Haughey was entirely appropriate, adding it would have been very strange had it been otherwise as this honour had been afforded all former taoisigh.
The Minister was in London giving evidence to a House of Lords inquiry into the competence of the EU to make criminal law across the European community. He cut short his visit to return for Mr Haughey's funeral.