THE GOVERNMENT wants to “get to the bottom of” the controversy surrounding the granting of a road haulage licence to a convicted drugs dealer, the Dáil has been told.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen said they would establish what policy or legislative changes were necessary and how “we would proceed to close off any gaps in information that may have arisen in this case that enabled this person to get a licence,” when it should have “raised many questions before he would get it.”

Mr Cowen said the matter “is being examined by both the Minister for Transport and the commission, which has an independent remit”.

He was responding to Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny who asked: “In what circumstances was a road haulier’s licence allocated to a convicted drug trafficker allowing him to transport both around this country and into and out of the country?”

Mr Kenny said that in applications the Garda is asked for “what is essentially a character reference”. In this case gardaí were able “to point out a number of indiscretions and convictions for charges that applied to England”.

“Why,” Mr Kenny asked, “ was no reference made to the fact that the applicant was convicted for the possession of cannabis and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment?”

He called on the Taoiseach to “stand up in this House and state that convicted drug traffickers are not persons of good repute and are not entitled to road hauliers’ licences”.

Mr Cowen said there was “no difference” between himself and Mr Kenny on the issue, pointing out that when the matter was brought to the attention of the Minister for Transport last week “he asked that a review of the original file be sought from the department’s office”. But the Minister could not comment until he completed his review and received clarification from the Office of the Attorney General on legal issues.

Earlier Fine Gael justice spokesman Charlie Flanagan said “the mixed messages being sent by the Minister for Justice in this case are only adding to the fear of a cover-up because certain aspects of this case stink. It is very important that the Minister ensures we know the facts of the case and who is protecting this man”.

Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern insisted that “neither my department nor I had any hand, act or part in the granting of any of these licences, which is purely a matter for the Department of Transport”.

But Labour justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte called on the Minister to “stop sheltering behind the Ombudsman Commission”, asking: “How long does the Minster intend continuing to tell the House that it is an interim report?”

The matter happened on July 31st last year. If the Minister “isn’t sheltering behind the skirts of the Ombudsman Commission he is sheltering behind the Minister for Transport . . . One would have thought that as Minister he would want to hear from the Garda Síochána after 10 months, what he hell was going on?”

Mr Ahern insisted there was no delay on his part, and he had suggested the interim report be passed to the Garda Ombudsman Commission.