The Taoiseach said he would not tolerate views within the Cabinet contrary to the Government's policy on deregulating the taxi industry. "I repeat that I cannot stop people having views," Mr Ahern said. "However, I will not tolerate views that are contrary to the collective responsibility of Government. That is what I have already said this week."
He was responding to Opposition calls to clarify the views of the Minister of State for Education, Mr Willie O'Dea.
The Labour deputy leader, Mr Brendan Howlin, said there was incredible anger at the various disputes under way. "We read in today's paper that two Ministers of State, Deputies O'Dea and Molloy, were involved in a blazing row over Government policy in the precincts of this House. Where is the Government on this issue?"
Mr Joe Higgins (Socialist Party, Dublin West) said Mr Molloy was "off on a Mexican siesta, leaving utter chaos in the taxi industry in his wake". He said the Progressive Democrats were now dictating transport policy, "in a desperate attempt to inflate their deflated party rather than what is in the interests of the public, justice and providing a reasonable living for those who provide a taxi service."
On the teachers' dispute, Mr Ahern said the appropriate forum to deal with the issue was the benchmarking forum, which was chaired by an independent judge. "If the ASTI contacts the Minister in the next few hours, indicating it is prepared to use that benchmarking process - as the TUI and the INTO are - this matter will be over."
The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, said he would consider any hardship cases in the taxi industry brought to his attention before publishing the Finance Bill.
The Fine Gael spokesman on finance, Mr Michael Noonan, had said some owners of taxi plates would suffer a serious financial loss following the liberalising of the business.