Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has insisted that all party policy documents had been compiled and printed by the party.
"I do not think any of our policy documents have been authored by anybody other than people who work for the party, or, perhaps, some advisers who work part-time outside of work for the party." Mr Ahern was replying to Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny who said that the Fianna Fáil press director had circulated a number of documents relating to the launch by Minister for Finance Brian Cowen and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin of a party political campaign document relating to employment and jobs.
On examination, the electronic version of one of the documents showed that the author was the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Mr Kenny sought an explanation as to "why a political party, which is obviously partial by its nature, can have election campaign documents authored by using facilities and resources from a State department for which the taxpayer pays". He added that State departments were supposedly impartial by nature.
Mr Kenny suggested that Fianna Fáil was utterly incapable of distinguishing the people's money from the party's money.
"Is it not a case that the taxpayers not only pay the price for the Government's failures, they are now also paying the price for the Government's propaganda?"
Earlier, Mr Kenny sought an assurance, "on the eve of this great battle", that no Ministers would use official facilities and resources for party political purposes.
Mr Ahern said that procedures, as outlined in the legislation and the code of practice, had been given to every Minister.
