Fianna Fail would give full co-operation to the Moriarty tribunal, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said.

The Government, he added, had faced the responsibility of cleaning up a legacy from the past of unacceptable practices in politics and in tax compliance by individuals and businesses. It had established tribunals and inquires, many of which had been left to one side by various governments over the years.

"I wish to repeat what I said to the Moriarty tribunal yesterday - that I have, at all times, directed all officials within the Fianna Fail party to fully co-operate with this tribunal. This tribunal was established by Dail Eireann and Seanad Eireann with the support of the Fianna Fail party and me as Taoiseach.

"I have been assured by party officials that they have and will continue to co-operate with the tribunal, and I believe that they will continue to do so."

The Government, he said, could be proud of its record of public service with integrity. "We have set up tribunals for the purpose of establishing the truth. The Tanaiste is rightly determined to see through the inquiries that she has established. The Opposition seems only to be interested in their potential for prematurely bringing down the Government.

"I believe they will be disappointed and the Irish people will see through parties that hope, as in the past, for power to fall into their laps without doing anything much to deserve it themselves."

In a strong defence of the Government's record, Mr Ahern said: "We are tackling every problem but there is miles more work to do and we are ready to do it.

"We have laid the foundations for lasting peace. We have created an engine for lasting economic success which generates the resources to build an inclusive society. We are building the framework for a politics that earns public respect. Politics should be about implementing policies that make a real difference to all our lives, not the sound-bite culture of daily denunciations."

He paid tribute to his ministerial colleagues and acknowledged "the important and valuable contribution made by our partners, the Tanaiste, Mary Harney, and her colleagues, to our collective work in Government".

This week, he added, had been an important milestone in the consolidation of the Belfast Agreement, with the IRA carrying out its promised confidence-building measure of putting arms verifiably beyond use.

"We have concentrated over the past three years on giving the peace the highest priority and we have kept our eye constantly on the ball. It is widely acknowledged that this Government, and within it the Fianna Fail party which I lead has made a vital contribution to the remarkable progress of the peace process since 1997. Indeed, it is one of the main reasons why we are in Government."

Mr Ahern recalled the "confident claims" made in November 1994 by the Opposition parties that they could handle the peace process as well or better, and even that they were better placed to negotiate the agreement.

"The reality showed otherwise. Even John Major, in his autobiography, refers to his dismay at the fall of Albert Reynolds and paints a very unflattering picture of the disunited approach of his successors, which was common knowledge in diplomatic circles at the time.

"I am delighted to say that the approach of both parties in the present coalition Government to Northern Ireland has been, in contrast, completely cohesive, and has ensured seamless co-operation, as there should be, between the Departments of the Taoiseach, Foreign Affairs and Justice.

"I accept, of course, that parties opposite made best efforts to mitigate disasters unforeseen that befell the peace process between 1995 and 1997. Nevertheless, I do remember that both communities in Northern Ireland in June 1997, for very different reasons, badly wanted to see a change of government here."

Mr Ahern said that while all parties had contributed since 1987 to the remarkable economic transformation of the State, the Fianna Fail contribution, based on its presence in government for 11.5 of the 14 years, and the PD contribution during the FF-PD terms of government had been decisive.