The Government has said the conviction of a Sinn Féin member for Provisional IRA membership is a matter for the courts and separate to the efforts to restore the Executive in the North.
Niall Binead, who kept surveillance details on senior Dáil politicians, was one of two men jailed for four years by the Special Criminal Court yesterday. He is a close political associate of Sinn Féin TD Mr Aengus Ó Snodaigh, and secretary of the party's Dublin South City branch.
From Crumlin, Dublin, Binead was sentenced yesterday along with Kenneth Donohoe from Tallaght. Documents found in his home contained the names of several politicians, including those of former justice minister Mr John O'Donoghue, and PD founder Mr Des O'Malley.
The convictions led Fine Gael and the PDs to demand an explanation from Sinn Féin.
Senator John Minihan of the PDs said the conviction raised "very serious question marks" about Sinn Féin's ability to fully embrace the democratic process.
However, Mr Ó Snodaigh last night repeated his view that the court had handed down a "very unsafe judgment", and said he understood an appeal was under consideration.
The case was raised in the Dáil yesterday by the Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, who said that up to 20 Oireachtas members were not informed by the authorities that "this surveillance of movements, observation or spying, was being conducted".
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said the two men had been convicted of "severe criminal activity", but said the offences had "nothing to do" with current political events.
"It remains to be proven what it was all about. It should be remembered that the sentences were imposed for IRA membership, which does not resolve the issue of information-gathering."
Fine Gael's justice spokesman, Mr Jim O'Keeffe, said Mr Ó Snodaigh should clarify his relationship with the guilty party, and his knowledge of Binead's criminal activities.
