THERE was a sharp disagreement between the Taoiseach and the PD leader on the Government's commitment to openness.

Ms Mary Harney told Mr Bruton "The hallmark of your Government is secrecy, deception and evasion." She asked the Taoiseach if it was still his view that government and the people it served had been damaged by a lack of openness, which had been stated in the programme for the government of renewal.

Mr Bruton said that members of the House recognised that the Government took great care to answer comprehensively any questions put to it in the House. Most members of the House would also realise that he, in particular took care to make sure that he was able to give comprehensive answers to questions.

Almost every week Ms Harney attempted to accuse him of misleading the House, he added. But the record would show that he gave full, fair and honest answers to questions in the House on a regular basis and would continue to do so for a considerable time.

Ms Harney said that she had not accused the Taoiseach of misleading the House but she had said he was evading answering parliamentary questions. Why had no member of his Government been held accountable for the procedures adopted in the allocation of the divorce referendum advertising contract to QMP? Why had they only heard from unelected officials?

The Ceann Comhairle, Mr Sean Treacy, said that was not a relevant question.

When the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, suggested that taxpayers had been "cheated" by the Government's failure to stick to its spending targets, the Taoiseach said that when Mr Ahern was Minister for Finance public spending increased by three times as much.

Mr Bruton accused Mr Ahern of having "a problem of coherence" as far as economic policy was concerned. Mr Ahern replied "From a man who tried to bring in two Budgets and failed . . . it is hard to listen to that nonsense."

Earlier Ms Harney criticised Mr Bruton's decision to transfer questions she had tabled to him to other Ministers. One had asked if he had been engaged in any discussions about the appointment of an advertising agency for the divorce referendum.

The Ceann Comhairle said that the transfer of questions had traditionally been the responsibility of the Cabinet.

When pressed by Ms Harney to say why he did not answer questions about meetings with Sinn Fein, the Alliance party and the SDLP during the Christmas recess, Mr Bruton said he did not have any formal meetings with those parties. The Tanaiste, Mr Spring, had met them.