Public tribunals and sworn inquiries enjoy something of a chequered history in this State; when they are good they are very, very good and when they are bad they are, at the very least, costly and disappointing.
There are already high expectations of the new judicial inquiry into payments made to politicians by Dunnes Stores. The success of the Hepatitis C tribunal and its ability to elucidate so much in such a short time - all in a careful and dignified way - has, no doubt, contributed to this optimism.
The terms of reference agreed by the Government, on first reading, are certainly comprehensive. They would appear to give the chairman of the tribunal, Mr Justice Brian McCracken, the kind of latitude he needs to establish the salient facts; who received unorthodox payments from Mr Ben Dunne and why did they receive them? If anything, the terms of reference may be overly comprehensive with the tribunal charged with the huge task of trawling over" payments from Dunnes Stores over a 10 year period. The danger of an unwieldy tribunal which loses its way in a forest of documentation is obvious, but the Government is probably right to be inclusive rather than exclusive in its approach. It is to be hoped that the interim report, which the tribunal will prepare after 10 ten days of oral hearing, will help to bring a sharp, tight focus to the proceedings.
The importance of the tribunal can scarcely be overstated suspicion and innuendo have clung to the political process since the original revelation about the former Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, Mr Michael Lowry, over two months ago. It was good to hear the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, express his determination to resolve an affair that has "tarnished" the whole political process. But Mr Bruton and his Government deserve little kudos for the decision to establish the tribunal. The reality is that the Government completely underestimated public concern about the Lowry affair and was forced to mount a rearguard action. By contrast, Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats were quick to identify that a sworn public inquiry was both necessary and inevitable. It is now clear that the Buchanan inquiry, despite the very best efforts of Judge Gerard Buchanan, was no more than a diversion on the road to the tribunal and it should now be stood down.
The Government's attempt to position itself on the high moral ground on the Dunnes Stores affair is unconvincing indeed, its new found enthusiasm for a tribunal is hardly driven exclusively by the need to clear a stain from public life. The Government is clearly gleeful at the prospect of embarrassing Fianna Fail and the senior former party figure who allegedly received £1.1 million from Mr Dunne. Some Government members appear to relish the prospect of the tribunal turning its spotlight on Fianna Fail in the run in to the general election.
Mr Bruton's challenge to the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Ahern, to help identify the recipient of the £1.1 million also smacked of electioneering. This was an unjustified attack on Mr Ahern, whose handling of the affair from the beginning, has been sure footed. The Taoiseach might do well to reflect on the fact that the Dunnes Stores affair has not marked his finest political hour. His attempts now to derive political capital from it, are ill advised.