Taoiseach called upon to explain FF 'amnesia'

The Taoiseach was challenged in the Dáil today over the revelation that two Fianna Fáil members of the Oireachtas failed to disclose details to an internal party inquiry of donations made to them during the 1990s.

Green Party leader Trevor Sargent called on Mr Ahern to explain what he described as "chronic amnesia" suffered by Fianna Fáil members Senator Don Lydon and GV Wright TD in submissions made to the Fianna Fáil inquiry and asked if he would be asking his members to step aside.

Mr Sargent was referring to newspaper reports this morning detailing admissions made to the Mahon tribunal when Senator Lydon said he forgot to tell the Fianna Fáil inquiry about £7,000 he received from Dublin landowner Christopher Jones in 1992 and an admission by Mr Wright that he gave incorrect information to the Fianna Fáil inquiry held in the aftermath of Frank Dunlop's allegations about corruption in 2000.

The Taoiseach replied that the Government had set up the Moriarty and Mahon tribunals to inquire into payments to politicians and into the planning process.

He said the position of the Government and of the Fianna Fail party was to "get to the end of any wrongdoing that was going on anywhere, including at Dublin County Council."

Mr Sargent said when he asked a basic question about payments in the Council in 1993, that he was put "in a headlock" by a Fianna Fáil member. He went on to ask what anyone has to do to get thrown out of the Fianna Fáil party.

Mr Ahern responded by saying he was sorry if any of his party members had put Deputy Sargent in a headlock in 1993, and added that if he had been there "he would have stopped them."

There was laughter in the chamber when the Taoiseach said "I have never condemned wrongdoing in any area," before correcting himself to say that he had never "condoned" wrongdoing.

He barbed to Deputy Sergent that if he wanted to know about the internal Fianna Fáil inquiry that "I will fill you in on that when you fill me in on your chemical shares one."