Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I do not agree with Deputy Gilmore that it affects my credibility or authority, or that I am engulfed in anything. As I do most days, I spent recent days preparing and working with my colleagues on the annual budget which will be announced tomorrow. The answer to the question on time is that I did not time the press conference yesterday but perhaps six or seven minutes is the amount of time I spent on it. I am in the tribunal whenever the learned gentlemen of the tribunal ask me to be there on whatever dates are fixed.

Deputy Gilmore is correct to state there are a lot of serious issues and if he had raised any of them I was prepared to answer them as I have been involved in briefings, but obviously he opted to raise an issue about 1994.

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