Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I will respond to what the Deputy stated and to what I understand Deputy Rabbitte stated earlier. I apologise for not being here but I had another appointment. I do not in any way regret what I stated last week and as I said at the time, it would have been a dereliction of duty if I did not refer to a substantial part of the report on how this interacts with whistleblowing issues. I said no more or no less than what was in the report.

The more I listen to some of the comments made by the Opposition, the more the term "shooting the messenger" comes to mind. We gave a job to Mr. Justice Morris to investigate not only the allegations made in Donegal but also how these allegations came about particularly in the context of a number of people who did not or could not have had a voice, such as Assistant Garda Commissioner Carty.

Deputy Rabbitte raised my involvement in the Ray Burke affair. I was asked by the then Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, to ask a question as to whether a Mr. Joseph Murphy gave money to Ray Burke. I received an answer and relayed it. I did no more and no less than what I was asked to do. In the context of trying to link it with the Morris tribunal report last week, which clearly criticised two Members of this House, Mr. Justice Flood issued a report into my rather peripheral involvement in that sorry episode and vindicated it.

See this speech in context