PDs walk out on Cromien Report debate in day of rows

THE PDs withdrew from the debate on the Cromien Report after the House had been adjourned at Question Time in a further row between the Government and the Opposition.

The Ceann Comhairle, Mr Sean Treacy, adjourned proceedings at 2.40 p.m. as Taoiseach's Question Time was about to get under way.

This followed an intervention by the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, who renewed Opposition demands, made earlier on the Order of Business, that the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, answer questions on the Department of Justice controversy.

As Mr Treacy called on Mr Bruton to answer the first scheduled question for yesterday - on how the Government plans to mark the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the State Mr Ahern and other Fianna Fail deputies persisted in attempting to make points of order.

Mr Treacy said there were no points of order, but points of disorder. As the exchanges continued he said he had no option but to adjourn the proceedings.

When the House resumed at 4.20 p.m., Mr Ahern said that no satisfactory progress had been made on the Opposition demands.

The PD leader, Ms Mary Harney, accused the Government of trampling on democracy. She said that her party would not participate in the "charade", adding that the party would return to the House today to ask questions.

The PD deputies then left the chamber, as the Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, began the Cromien Report debate.

Earlier yesterday, Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats withdrew from the Dail chamber in a procedural row. It meant that the latter part of the Order of Business was transacted without an opposition, except for the Independent TD for Longford Roscommon, Mr Tom Foxe.

Fianna Fail had sought an inquiry by the Committee on Legislation and Security into the Department of Justice controversy, and the party also insisted that the Taoiseach join with Mrs Owen in answering questions at the conclusion of today's resumed debate on the Cromien Inquiry report.

The party's chief whip, Mr Dermot Ahern, criticised the ruling out of questions on the affair to the Taoiseach and the Minister for Justice yesterday, on the basis that they anticipated the debate on the inquiry, which started in the afternoon.

The PD chief whip, Ms Liz O'Donnell, said that the debate on the inquiry should not be scheduled if it would affect the admissibility of over 60 questions already tabled to the Minister and the Taoiseach and due for reply.

The Taoiseach said that the admissibility of questions was decided by the Ceann Comhairle Mr Sean Treacy, and not the Government, on the basis of the rules of procedure. It was a longstanding rule of procedure that questions anticipating debate were not allowed on the day of the debate.

Mr Treacy said that once his office had received official written notice of a proposal to take statements, with a question and answer session, the anticipation rule had to be applied. "It is in strict accordance with longstanding practice and precedents."

The Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, noted that the Taoiseach had inadvertently misled the House last week when he had said there were no precedents for the publication of the advice given by the Attorney General to the Government.

Thanking Mr Ahern for bringing it to his attention, Mr Bruton said that he had since checked the records and there were "limited precedents" for the publication of advice in a limited range of circumstances. "But I have to say that there are no precedents for the publication of the advice of the Attorney General in regard to a matter which is potentially the subject of a current court case."

As the House was aware, the issue on which the Attorney General was advising was currently the subject of privilege, claimed on the basis of the normal relationship between legal adviser and client. Therefore, the second letter from the Attorney General to the Minister would not be published.

Later, the Fianna Fail spokesman on Finance, Mr Charlie McCreevy, apologised to Mr Barry White SC for naming him on November 12th as the counsel who had contacted the offices of the Department of Justice, the Attorney General and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

"I have been contacted by Mr White, who assures me that he did] not contact the offices referred to by me. I accept totally the word of Mr White.