Ahern account of talking to Foley `bizarre'

Opposition deputies accused the Taoiseach of failing to answer the key questions about his talks with the North Kerry deputy, Mr Denis Foley, on his financial affairs.

Fine Gael's deputy leader, Mrs Nora Owen, said Mr Ahern's speech did not address the issues in the debate and his statement "confirms that he never asked Deputy Foley a single question that might give him information he would have to do something about. He never asked Deputy Foley if he had an Ansbacher account. He never asked him if his account was offshore. He never asked him if he breached exchange control regulations."

Describing the Taoiseach's account of his meeting with Mr Foley as "bizarre", the Fine Gael deputy leader referred to Mr Ahern's comment that the deputy was now "in effect" an independent TD. But the Taoiseach "refused to tell us anything about the special arrangement he will have with the Government chief whip to fasttrack his special wishes. He did not tell us how far this Government will go on when it will have to, as it surely will, prostrate itself in front of Deputy Foley, begging his support in a Dail vote."

She said the Taoiseach wanted to know nothing that would distract him from opening "barber shops and pig homes".

Deputy Foley would now be an independent TD and "joins the most elite crΦche to be minded by the indispensable Minister and nanny, Seamus Brennan", whom she described as the "nanny of nannies". The Government would be compromised by depending on the support of a man "who is seriously flawed and compromised by tax evasion". Mr Foley would now being for North Kerry what the Independent TD, Mr Jackie Healy-Rae, was doing for South Kerry.

Labour's spokeswoman on children, Ms Roisin Shortall, said the "duplicity and evasion" of Deputy Foley had inflicted "significant damage on public life and politics". Deputy Foley's resignation from the parliamentary party would not detract from the questions the Taoiseach had to answer and Mr Foley's "exile in the Fianna Fail sin bin is irrelevant to this critical matter".

She said the issue was a real challenge to the integrity of the Progressive Democrats. "Do they still adhere to the standards that Des O'Malley has fought to establish in politics, a battle fought at a huge personal cost."

Mr Gay Mitchell, Fine Gael's foreign affairs spokesman, said that after all the financial controversies it would be easy to believe "this was a banana republic".

However, the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, defended the Government and said the Opposition's debate was a "theatrical performance played out for the benefit of the media". It was an "Opposition attempt to blacken the character of the Taoiseach and the Fianna Fail party generally".

The Irish people, however, "are too discerning to be taken in by this production."

Mr Willie O'Dea, Minister of State for Education, reminded the Labour party of the write-off of a bank loan taken out by a former leader and three other senior members of the party for the European elections.

Mr Joe Higgins (Socialist, Dublin west) called for the publication of the names of Ansbacher account holders. It was unbelievable that the Taoiseach would tolerate the "swindling behaviour" of certain former leading members of Fianna Fail.

Mr Andrew Boylan (FG, Cavan-Monaghan) criticised the new Minister of State, Ms Mary Hanafin, for her comments during the first night of the debate. He was appalled that she would use the trouble and tragedy of Northern Ireland as a cover-up for the unlawful activities of members of the House and said she should apologise to the people of Northern Ireland.

Mr Caoimhghin O Caolain (SF, Cavan-Monaghan) said the majority of Fianna Fail deputies and senators who were honest in their dealings were ill-served by such spurious arguments about the North, as was the peace process.

The motion for debate concerned the Taoiseach, Tanaiste and the issue of accountability and he used the Taoiseach's own words in the Dail in June 1998 that full and frank explanations should not have to be extracted by tribunals from people who have enjoyed trust and responsibility in public life.