Green Party leader Trevor Sargent said the word "surprise" had characterised the Taoiseach's remarks.
"He tells us he was surprised to discover that Mr Haughey had a darker side. He was surprised to find out about the pilfering, equivalent to €41 million, during his career, and said he was surprised if any party had as high standards as Fianna Fáil in the way it operates its leader's allowance." This, said Mr Sargent, indicated a "a see-no-evil, hear-no-evil type of approach".
All was still not well, said Mr Sargent. There was the continuing temptation put in the way of unscrupulous and seemingly wealthy developers who could exploit a dysfunctional property market, he added.
Arthur Morgan (SF, Louth) said nobody was surprised at the report's findings.
The manner in which Charles Haughey had conducted himself while holding high office had been well exposed before the report was issued.
Equally, if not more, important, was the light the report shed on the relationship between privileged people in politics, big business and financial services.
Charles Haughey had benefited from this relationship, he said.
While small customers were treated by AIB with the utmost severity, the privileged, such as Mr Haughey, were allowed to default on huge debts.
Finian McGrath (Independent, Dublin North Central) said corruption and sleaze in politics were simply wrong.
There should be no fudge.
Mr McGrath said that the current Taoiseach had remarked that history would be the final judge of Mr Haughey.
"In reality, the Taoiseach should come out straight and say it was simply wrong. It is not acceptable for him to ask us to leave it to history."
Fine Gael's Fergus O'Dowd (Louth), Bernard Allen (Cork North Central) and John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim) also expressed revulsion at the report's findings.
Mr O'Dowd said the payments to Mr Haughey showed there was something rotten in Ireland at the time.
"We have not changed it fully."
