The Taoiseach has said that he "completely condemns" Liam Lawlor's contempt of the Flood Tribunal. But speaking on RTÉ radio, he added that Deputy Lawlor's co-operation with the Tribunal, not whether or not he should be expelled from the Dáil, is the central issue. The question of asking him to resign his seat would only arise if he failed to co-operate, said Bertie Ahern.
Mr Ahern said that there would be no abortion referendum before legislation was agreed. He said that his Government was trying to find a resolution that would deal with the issue in a non-divisive way. In the meantime, they were going to put resources into education and counselling to try to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies, he said.
Mr Ahern ruled out a Cabinet reshuffle, but indicated he would be reviewing the position of the Ministers of State in the short term. He once again stated that there would not be a general election this year; as far as he was concerned, the election would be in the summer of 2002.
