Dáil Report: The Tánaiste said that the forging of the Taoiseach's name by a former Fianna Fáil junior minister could be a matter for the Garda.
Ms Harney was replying to the Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, who raised the issue of Mr Lorcan Allen's bogus letter purporting to come from Mr Ahern. He asked if she regarded forgery as a serious matter which could be a criminal offence to be reported to the Garda.
Ms Harney said: "Of course, forging somebody's signature is a serious offence, and it is perhaps, inevitably, a matter for the Garda. But how parties are governed as political parties is not a matter for me in my capacity as Tánaiste and a member of the Government. The deputy may not agree with some of the decisions made, for example, in regard to electronic voting, but they were honest decisions."
Ms Harney said that the use of Oireachtas envelopes was governed by regulation, and the Committee on Members' Interests had recently issued a code of conduct on their use.
"Perhaps the matter should be resolved there or by the Public Offices Commission. I believe Oireachtas envelopes were used widely by a number of sides in this House in the recent local election campaign. I have in my possession some letters sent out by deputies seeking support, not all from the Government side."
Earlier, Mr Kenny said that there was a consistent trend. Ms Harney, he added, had said she was there to prevent Fianna Fáil from having single-party government and the kind of ethics that would bring to government.
"The decision to allocate €50 million to Punchestown was made between two Fianna Fáil ministers in a government of which the Tánaiste was a member. The decision to spend €40 million on electronic voting, which has turned into a complete and utter shambles, was one of the Government of which she is a member."
There were other breaches of ethics that clearly belonged to the Government of which she was a member, said Mr Kenny.
"Does she understand her party is being steamrolled as the smaller party in government by the Government and that Fianna Fáil has no intention of standing clear of breaches of ethics of which there is a consistent and clear trend ?"
Ms Harney said that Mr Kenny might be of a view that the priorities should have been different and he was entitled to that view.
"I believe all my colleagues in Government operate to the highest possible standards."
Mr Kenny asked if there was anything Ms Harney's Government partners could get up to that would force her to walk away or to stand up to the Taoiseach and remove herself from the trappings of office.
"Does the Tánaiste not recognise that these consistent trends give a clear indication that the Progressive Democrats in Government have been absolutely steamrolled by Fianna Fáil and that her party is far removed from keeping the country clean as she said she would when she entered this Coalition Government?"
Ms Harney said that the forged signature used by Mr Allen was not a Government decision.
"I am not here to answer for how any party deals with misdemeanours of that kind. That is a matter for the Fianna Fáil party and not Government," the Tánaiste said.