Seanad report: Seanad leader Mary O'Rourke said she did not think that confidential information in the possession of the Mahon tribunal about the personal finances of the Taoiseach had been leaked by "either of the Opposition parties, and I certainly do not think it was the commission (sic). I think we have to look nearer to home on this matter".
Mrs O'Rourke said she agreed with Joe O'Toole (Ind) that they should wait to see whether any revenue or ethics law had been broken. "No, they have not, and the Taoiseach said that. But we wait and see."
Brian Hayes, Fine Gael leader in the House, said the spectre of politics and money had been brought into sharp focus following the controversy surrounding the Taoiseach over the last week or so.
He believed that people were sick and tired of hearing stories about politicians taking money for whatever use they chose. He believed that the fundamental question the Irish people wanted answered was whether it was right that a senior politician should take such a significant amount of money for his own use. That matter must be clarified, not only for the Taoiseach but for the important office he held.
Mr O'Toole said he would like to hear from the Revenue Commissioners and from the Ethics Commission before making a final judgment on the matter.
Martin Mansergh (FF) said he believed that colleagues on the Government side of the House had total confidence in the Taoiseach. A political leader from the other side had got into difficulties through no fault of his own and had received substantial help.
Labhras Ó Murchú (FF) said he was disappointed that a central issue had been downplayed or sidelined, and that was the leaking of confidential information from the tribunal, which raised a very serious question.
He wanted to know how the judge who presided over the tribunal felt about its inability to live up to the commitment that had been given to the providers of confidential information.