Sharp exchanges over Taoiseach

OPPOSITION demands that the Taoiseach answer questions on the Department of Justice controversy led to sharp exchanges on the Order of Business.

The matter was first raised by the PD leader, Ms Mary Harney. She asked the Minister for Finance, Mr Quinn, who was deputising for the Taoiseach, how she could get Mr Bruton to answer questions relating to the two office holders - the Attorney General and the Director of Public Prosecutions - for whom he was responsible and accountable in the Dail. Questions had been ruled out of order on the basis that the Taoiseach had no responsibility, she said.

Mr Quinn said that substantial time had been set aside for a period of questions to the Minister for Justice to follow the debate later in the day. Ruling whether questions were in order was a matter for the office of the Ceann Comhairle.

Pressed by the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, to say if there would be a Taoiseach's Question Time next week, Mr Quinn said that Mr Bruton would not be in the House to take it.

Asked by Ms Harney if the Minister would answer questions later on the role of the DPP and the AG, Mr Quinn said Mrs Owen would answer whatever questions were put and were ruled to be in order by the Ceann Comhairle. Ms Harney said that her party had handed a letter to the Minister a short time earlier with seven questions.

"The reason we handed the letter is to make sure that she received the letter."

Amid further exchanges, Mr Quinn said the responsibilities of the EU presidency imposed a workload on the entire administrative system, not just on individual office holders. Between now and the end of December, there were excessive constraints on the time of the Taoiseach and Tanaiste.

"Those constraints should in no way be construed as being used for the purpose of evading the answering of questions," he said. "And I want to refute any such imputation entirely."