The Dublin West TD, Liam Lawlor, is spending his first evening in Mountjoy Prison, where he is serving a seven day sentence for contempt of court for refusing to co-operate with the Flood Tribunal. Mr Lawlor was driven to the prison complex through a back entrance. He is being detained on his own in a four-man cell in Mountjoy, but the prison authorities insist that he is not being given any special treatment.
Meanwhile, the Government is to move to replace Mr Lawlor on the two Dáil committees on which he now sits. A spokesman for the Taoiseach said that it had always been the intention of Mr Ahern to restore the full compliment of Fianna Fáil TDs on committees at the appropriate time. Mr Lawlor resigned from Fianna Fáil last June. The spokesman said that the Government Chief Whip, after consultations with the other party whips, would bring a motion before the Dáil.
The Fine Gael leader has called on Liam Lawlor to resign his Dáil seat for the sake of his family, his constituency and politics. John Bruton added that if he failed to do so, the Dáil should consider suspending him. Mr Bruton said that the announcement that the Government is to replace Liam Lawlor on the two Dáil committees is a typical example of the Taoiseach "doing the least possible at the last minute". He said that the Taoiseach had been unwilling to act until now because his Government is still dependent on Mr Lawlor's support in the Dáil.
Commenting on the Taoiseach's decision the Tánaiste said that they believed the Oireachtas must strongly respond to what had happened in the courts. Mary Harney said that the Oireachtas had a duty to protect the integrity of the courts and the tribunals and of the body politic. Ms Harney said that it was a sad day when a member of the Oireachtas, a Dáil deputy, found himself in such a position but she believed that the Oireachtas had to respond.
The leader of the Labour party has said that Liam Lawlor has no one to blame for his prison term but himself. In a statement following today's imprisonment of the Dublin West TD, Ruairí Quinn said that the attitude Mr Lawlor had adopted towards the Flood Tribunal showed contempt, not only for the Tribunal, but also for the Dáil and the will of the people. Mr Quinn was also critical of the Taoiseach's response to the controversy surrounding Mr Lawlor, saying that Mr Ahern had showed neither moral nor political leadership on the issue.
Liam Lawlor today presented himself at Mountjoy Prison where he is to serve a one-week sentence for contempt of court. Mr Lawlor was driven in to the prison complex through a back entrance by his driver. The Central Office at the Four Courts had earlier issued a warrant for his arrest. Mr Justice Smyth found Mr Lawlor guilty on Monday of failing to co-operate with the Flood Tribunal, fined him £10,000 and sentenced him to three months in prison.
