The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, has demanded the recall of the Dail to authorise a possible triggering of failsafe mechanisms that could nullify the Belfast Agreement.
The Taoiseach did not have the legal authority to agree to the triggering of such mechanisms, Mr Bruton asserted, because legislation had been passed by the Dail to implement the agreement. Retrospective legislation would be of dubious constitutionality, he said.
A triggering of mechanisms if the start of a decommissioning process did not follow the setting up of an executive could abort the agreement as early as mid-July, Mr Bruton said. Because the Oireachtas had passed legislation giving effect to the agreement, the Government had no option but to recall the Dail.
Mr Bruton also called for clarification of the process whereby the Attorney General, Mr David Byrne, helped to draw up the terms of reference for the Moriarty tribunal and the possible investigation of Glen Ding. The Fine Gael leader spoke of a possible conflict of interest because Mr Byrne had acted for a subsidiary of Cement Roadstone Holdings Ltd shortly before he became Attorney General.
The Taoiseach should explain what legal advice the Government took in relation to Glen Ding, CRH and the Moriarty tribunal at the time, Mr Bruton said, and why the Dail was not fully informed about possible conflicts of interest.