Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

When I knew and it became clear to this House, the Government brought forward proposals, on which the House collectively agreed, to set up investigations into all these matters many years ago. Those investigations have examined all of the files in all the areas where they had any doubts, connections or involvement. They continue to do that to this day.

Unfortunately, I did not know all of the things the Deputy knew with certainty back in the 1980s. Even in the 1990s when as Taoiseach I was trying to make preliminary inquiries, they were not matters the Garda knew either. I put all of that on the record here many years ago. Rather than being here berating me for these issues, the Deputy should explain why he knew with certainty all of these matters were going on and about which he never made any statement. To the best of my knowledge, the Deputy has still not done this. I know Deputy Ó Caoláin, if I was saying what Deputy Joe Higgins has been saying, would ask where was the evidence. I suppose that is what Deputy Higgins himself would ask also. However, he should at least have made people aware of this. I know he never made me aware of it, and neither did anybody else, unfortunately.

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