Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I did not ask the Taoiseach's legal team, I asked him. I shall give him two examples. On 22 September 2006 the Taoiseach said in this House: "I have provided all documentation requested, sworn affidavits, given statements of evidence and had no difficulty with this." That is what he said. We now know that he did not provide all the information and that he had difficulty. Otherwise the tribunal would not have called him back for private interview or to public hearings.

On 27 September 2006 the Taoiseach also told this House that he had not broken any tax law. However, on 14 May this year he told reporters that he had recently made a payment to the Revenue Commissioners relating to the payments and the gifts that he received in early 1990. Misleading statements were not confined to this House. On this day last year the Taoiseach told RTE on the "Six-one" news that the money he had saved was gone. However, he agreed with the tribunal that when he first received £22,500 in December 1993, he had nearly £70,000 at that stage.

Finally, on co-operation with the tribunal, the Taoiseach agreed under oath to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, that he had not supplied it with the comprehensive information it requested concerning cash lodgements the tribunal was investigating over a two and half year period. We know now, from the evidence at the tribunal, that he did not disclose in his sworn affidavit details of Irish £50,000, transferred to an account opened for his benefit by his then partner. I do not have the time to give the Taoiseach more examples, but I could. I ask him again, in view of the comments he made in this House, whether he is prepared to correct these misleading statements to the Dáil, of which he is Taoiseach. In view of what I have pointed out here, does he still stand over his statement that he fully and freely co-operated with the Mahon tribunal?

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