The political controversy surrounding the resignation of the Taoiseach's special adviser, Mr Paddy Duffy, will continue in the Dail next week after the local and European elections when Mr Ahern faces a series of Labour Party questions on the affair.
Mr Duffy resigned last Friday after it emerged he was a director of a public affairs company, Dillon Consultants, which had advised NTL, the successful bidder for Cablelink. Both Mr Duffy and Dillon Consultants have said Mr Duffy played no role in advising NTL on its bid.
The questions, tabled yesterday, ask Mr Ahern to make a statement on the circumstances of a meeting he held in May 1998 with the NTL managing director, Mr Owen Lamont.
It asks who organised the meeting, how the meeting was arranged and whether the Cablelink sale was discussed.
It has already emerged that the meeting was arranged after Dillon Consultants sent a fax to Mr Duffy requesting such a meeting. Mr Ahern said on Tuesday the sale of Cablelink was discussed, although the meeting predated the tendering process for the company, which was owned by RTE and Telecom Eireann.
Labour will also ask if Mr Duffy's contract of employment contained a restriction on engaging in private practice; whether it contained any restriction on the use of official information acquired in the course of his duties if he left to take up work in the private sector; and whether he will issue new guidelines to his staff regarding involvement in outside commercial activities.
Mr Ahern will be asked how many of his staff have made the statements required by law, and the reason he has not laid these statements before the Dail.