Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his government colleagues have been accused of seeking to avoid scrutiny over the findings of the Moriarty report.
Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin have criticised the Government’s proposed format for the Dáil discussion on the report on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
The Taoiseach is scheduled to make the opening statement on the Moriarty report in the Dáil next Tuesday at about 5pm.
The House is due to adjourn at 7pm, with a further five hours devoted to the subject the following day, including an hour-long question-and-answer session due to be taken by Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte.
A Fianna Fáil spokesman said it was not sufficient for Taoiseach Enda Kenny to be present for the opening statements on Tuesday with the rest of the proceedings, including Wednesday’s question-and-answer session being hosted by Mr Rabbitte.
The spokesman added: “People want to know about any correlation between the highly-suspect fundraising activities of Fine Gael and the Cabinet’s decision to forego even basic scrutiny of the largest-ever commercial decision of an Irish Government.”
Six members of the present Government were at the cabinet table when the mobile phone licence was awarded to Esat Digifone in 1996 and the Fianna Fáil spokesman pointed to the Taoiseach’s assurance in the Dáil this week that these ministers would have “no difficulty” answering questions.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams told reporters at Leinster House: “We don’t think that what is planned is a proper debate.”
Describing the format as “unacceptable”, he said: “There are no ministers who are going to be open to being questioned apart from Minister Rabbitte.”
He said the tribunal report had shown that Fine Gael party had engaged in “money-laundering” and he added the main government party must account for that.
Rejecting any comparison with the drawing of Westminster expenses reported to be almost UK£500,000 (€576,000) by five Sinn Féin abstentionist MPs, he said:
“We were permitted under the rules of that parliament not to attend, and to employ people in order to represent our constituents. We didn’t draw a salary, okay?
“So there’s nothing wrong about that, we did the right thing. We would be eejits not to safeguard, protect and promote and advocate for the people who elected us,” Mr Adams said.
On the position of Independent TD Michael Lowry, Mr Adams said the Tipperary North Independent TD should resign and, under Sinn Féin parliamentary reform proposals, he would have had to do so.
