Moriarty issue raised with Ahern - adviser

The Government has declined to comment on reports that one of the Taoiseach's key advisers had discussed with him concerns raised about a waste facility operated by businessmen Louis Moriarty.

The Taoiseach said this month that he was unaware of the background of Mr Moriarty, who is at the centre of investigations into illegal dumping, before meeting him in Co Kerry on August 8th.

Mr Ahern was photographed that day with Mr Moriarty at a €20 million hotel development in Sneem, Co Kerry, owned by the businessman.

Mr Moriarty has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing in relation to the biggest illegal dump uncovered to date in Ireland at Whitestown in west Wicklow.

In an article in Village magazine yesterday Senator Cyprian Brady, who runs the Taoiseach's constituency office, St Luke's, in Drumcondra, is quoted as saying that he had discussed representations regarding Mr Moriarty with the Taoiseach.

"He [Mr Moriarty] came to the advice centre in St Luke's on a couple of occasions and met with myself. I don't remember the details but in the normal course of events any issue that comes to us is discussed with the Taoiseach.

"He [Mr Ahern] says that he has never heard of him and never met him. There may be a conflict there but we do have quite a throughput in the office. We get hundreds of representations.

"If the Taoiseach is saying that, then that is what he is saying. But my recollection of it is that I met him, there were complaints over his waste facility and I would have discussed this with the Taoiseach later," Mr Brady is quoted as saying in the article in Village.

A spokesman for Mr Ahern last night told The Irish Times: "We have nothing to add or subtract from what the Taoiseach already said about the matter."

Mr Brady could not be contacted last night.

A spokesman for Fianna Fáil said it was not in a position to say whether Mr Moriarty had been a contributor to the Taoiseach's constituency organisation or to the party nationally.

Following publication of the photograph at the hotel development, the Taoiseach's office said that Mr Ahern had been unacquainted with Mr Moriarty before the visit to the hotel and was unaware of his background.

The Taoiseach's office later said that Mr Moriarty had visited a clinic in the Taoiseach's constituency - the businessman lives in Dublin Central close to the home of Mr Ahern - and sought assistance from staff about obtaining a waste permit.

The Taoiseach's office also contacted the Environmental Protection Agency in 2002 regarding representations made by residents in East Wall about a facility operated by Mr Moriarty's company.

Mr Ahern's spokesman said last week that all contacts had been carried out by constituency staff and that the Taoiseach was "absolutely emphatic" that he did not know Mr Moriarty.