THE bitter divisions generated by, the beef tribunal resurfaced during heated exchanges at Question, Time.

They arose when the Taoiseach was asked about Government intentions on the proposed referendum on Cabinet confidentiality. The Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, put it to Mr Bruton that in all of his replies on the issue during the past year he had been hiding behind "expert advice, legal opinion and committees".

Insisting that he had moved the issue forward, Mr Bruton said Cabinet confidentiality had become a problem because it had been used by a government, of which Mr Ahern had been a member, when it did not want to give certain information to a tribunal which was investigating an important matter.

Mr Ray Burke (FF, Dublin North) said he deeply resented the suggestion by the Taoiseach that there was an individual at that tribunal hiding behind Cabinet confidentiality.

"I was the person in the witness box who was asked the question that directly led to that test case being held on Cabinet confidentiality. When I was asked the question, I indicated that I was prepared to answer it, a fact that was acknowledged by the chairman of that tribunal. It was the intervention of the Attorney General's representative there that day that prevented me answering the question."

Mr Burke added that he was more proud of his role in the matter than the Tanaiste should be given that Mr Spring had "forced it and then had his brother represent him in the tribunal ... who has not yet submitted his claim for £1 million expenses . .. but it will come in as soon as the general election is over."

Mr Bruton suggested it was not fair to allow a deputy to repeatedly attack an identifiable person outside the House who was in no way connected with it.

The Leas Cheann Comhairle, Mr Joe Jacob, said there was a long-standing tradition that people outside the House were not named accurately or even by innuendo.

After some further exchanges, Mr Bruton said that having studied the beef tribunal report he fully accepted Mr Burke's bona fides on the matter, both in the way in which he had conducted himself in the witness box and in his conduct as a minister and he had made no suggestion to the contrary.

Earlier, Mr Bruton told Ms Helen Keogh (PD, Dun Laoghaire) that it was hoped to have a referendum on Cabinet confidentiality this year. "The work on it is pretty advanced and the text has been largely agreed. There are one or two issues that we need to look at in the drafting of the Bill, but it is substantially agreed at this stage."

Accusing the Taoiseach of fudging the issue, Ms Keogh challenged him to give an exact date for the referendum and say if it would be held in tandem with a general election.

Mr Bruton said he could not give her an exact date until, obviously, the legislation was ready and completed, adding that it was a matter of some importance that care should be taken in drafting a constitutional amendment. He said the holding of "this consultation with the people, in conjunction with any other consultation that might take place at any time during the year", was not excluded.

Asked by Ms Keogh if the Government would go out of office without completing a key element of its programme, the Taoiseach said: "The answer to the question is in the negative."