Minister of State for Equality Seán Power admitted yesterday that his failure to declare mining shares was a mistake.
Mr Power was responding to a report in the Irish Mail on Sunday that he had bought 26,000 shares in Ivernia West Inc in February 2003 and sold them last November at a profit of €18,694.
Under legislation, shares worth more than €13,000 have to be declared in the Register of Interests of Members of Dáil Éireann.
Mr Power initially declared his Ivernia West shares at the time of purchase, when they were worth less than €13,000.
Shortly afterwards the value of the shares rose above the threshold but Mr Power did not register them again until last month.
Mr Power said he only realised the shares had not been registered in 2004 through 2006 when he sold the shares last year. He said it was an innocent mistake.
The Kildare South TD confirmed yesterday: 'I bought shares in Ivernia West in 2003 and declared them in my register of interests for that year. The cost was a little over €4,000.
'Last year it came to my notice that the value had increased significantly and I contacted the clerk of the Dáil to see how I could amend my declaration of interests for subsequent years.
'It was a mistake on my behalf and I attempted to rectify it as soon as I could,' he said.
Mr Power says that he has not yet been contacted yet by the Standards in Public Office Commission but will help them if they contact him about the issue.
Fine Gael deputy leader and finance spokesman Richard Bruton said: 'Clearly if the rules have been breached there will have to an investigation by the Standards in Public Office Commission.'
