Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The full Government was there and has been dealing with all the issues mentioned by Deputy Gilmore and many more in that period.

If I recall the questions exactly, I am advised that, in the professional opinion of my tax advisers, I am fully tax compliant. I made a voluntary disclosure based on their advice. For the avoidance of doubt, comprehensive and detailed submissions were made to Revenue. I understand that these are being considered by Revenue as part of the normal process. A voluntary disclosure was the normal process, not an acceptance that there was anything wrong. It was on that basis that I was advised to do it. Much of what has appeared in the media concerning my tax affairs in that period was based on leaked documentation, much of it a long way out of date. For legal and professional reasons, neither I nor my advisers have been in a position to respond about the accuracy or completeness of the report.

It is not correct, and if I said so, I was not correct — I cannot recall if I said it, but I did not say, or if I did, I did not mean to say it — that these issues could not be dealt with until the end of the Mahon tribunal. That is not what Revenue said. It said that it was part of the normal process of dealing with these issues. It and the Standards in Public Office Commission believe, and it is similar under the law, that while there is no tax clearance certificate, it is possible to deal with the other process while the issue is ongoing. Hopefully, those issues will be cleared up as soon as Revenue can do so. There is no question that I or my tax advisers have not comprehensively answered. There is no outstanding Revenue matter of which we are aware. We have answered every single question it has asked us.

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