Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

The Taoiseach said that he does not know who went with him to Manchester aside from Senator Kett. However, he said there were other people with him. The Taoiseach said he went with friends to Manchester on many occasions and that he is well acquainted with Irish organisations over there. It is incredible that the Taoiseach cannot remember who went with him. He said today it was a unique event in that he received £8,000 sterling at it. That would surely be clear in his mind, as well as the people who travelled with him. Did the Taoiseach tell them that he had received the money that night? How is it that nobody remembers it?

The Taoiseach is clear about the number being 25, but he can only name two of them. That is difficult to accept. He knew all these people generally because he knows the Irish organisations and the football associates. If he might not have known their names, he would have known that one of them must have had a big business. Perhaps he was a publican, developer or a lawyer. The Taoiseach would have to remember who was there; I cannot accept that he does not.

Can the Taoiseach explain the role, if any, played by Mr. Richardson in each of the three payments he received? In 1993 Mr. Richardson was appointed national fundraiser for Fianna Fáil. Was he at the Manchester function and did he raise money in Manchester, perhaps for Fianna Fáil and not for the Taoiseach personally, on other occasions?

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