The Taoiseach declined again last night to comment on the continuing controversy over why he appointed the disgraced former minister, Mr Ray Burke, to the cabinet.
He told journalists awaiting him at a Law Society book launch that he would only answers questions on the economy.
Reporters also wanted to ask him questions relating to the reaction by the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, to newspaper allegations that a current Fianna Fáil Cabinet Minister had received a corrupt payment of £80,000.
However, his Government aides said he would be going straight in to give his speech.
Before he left after the launch, the message was relayed by aides that Mr Ahern would only answer questions relating to the economy.
These questions Mr Ahern answered fully, but as reporters asked him about the Tanaiste's comments yesterday that he had given her assurances that the allegations in the Sunday newspaper were incorrect, he walked towards his car saying: "I've answered all those things several times this week."
Mr Ahern had been attending the launch of The Law Society of Ireland, 1852-2002: Portrait of a Profession.
Earlier this week, the Taoiseach avoided questions from the media on whether Mr Burke had had information that put him in a position to demand a cabinet job.
Speaking about the economy, Mr Ahern said the international downturn and the fact that exports were not feeding into the international markets had affected revenues from corporation tax.
"An overall revenue that we hoped to be up 8.6 per cent is up 2.6 per cent," he said.
"So at the nine-month figure that shortens the revenue take by over €1 billion, and the Department of Finance in the briefing today are calling that a shortfall of about €1.3 billion."
The Government had indicated this for the last number of months, he said. The Department of Finance had brought everybody through what had happened over the last year.
The Taoiseach said he had no doubt that the Department had now cleared up any difficulties that existed previously over people's understanding of Exchequer finances.
He said he was glad this had been done comprehensively and he hoped that it was looked at very carefully by everybody.
"The fact is that what has happened here is what is happening everywhere else. It's happening right across the globe. We have to manage it. It's going to require a prudent and tight managing of the public finances. and that's what this Government will do," he said.