Fine Gael and Labour have strongly criticised comments by Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell.
Labour’s Pat Rabbitte said Mr McDowell’s claim there was nothing he could do about what happened in 1997 contrasted with the situation in 1989, when the Progressive Democrats sought the resignation of Brian Lenihan over events that had occurred in 1981.
He said this confirms that the Progressive Democrats no longer uphold the values and standards they did when Des O'Malley was leader.
Deputy Rabbitte said Michael McDowell was well able to whip up a media frenzy when it suited him, as when during the general election he promised to be the watchdog that would keep Fianna Fáil in its place.
He said it would appear that keeping Fianna Fáil in its place means keeping Fianna Fáil in office.
Fine Gael's Gay Mitchell accused the Progressive Democrats of being willing to accept assurances about corruption allegations in order to serve their own personal advancement.
His comments followed an accusation by the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, that the media had engaged in what he called a "feeding frenzy" in its reaction to the Flood Tribunal Report on planning corruption.
Deputy Mitchell said Mr McDowell had gone completely overboard in his comments.
McDowell criticises media "feeding frenzy"In his criticism on elements of the media, Mr McDowell, called on anyone with credible evidence that a serving Minister received a corrupt payment of £80,000 to bring that evidence to the Gardaí or to a Tribunal.
Mr McDowell said the Progressive Democrats would not pull out of Government now because of the appointment of Ray Burke to the cabinet five years ago.
Speaking to journalists in Dublin, Mr McDowell said there was nothing he could do now about what happened in 1997, when Ray Burke was appointed to the Cabinet after telling the Taoiseach that there was no truth in rumours he was involved in corruption.
Mr McDowell conceded that the investigation into those rumours was inadequate, but said that Mr Burke had lied.
The Minister also said that he did not expect personal tax rates to rise in the Budget, clarifying remarks he made on RTÉ's Six One News last night when he said tax rates were a matter to be decided in the Budget.
Taoiseach had no suspicions regarding BurkeEarlier the Taoiseach said files passed to him by the former Justice Minister, Maire Geoghegan Quinn, did not make him suspicious about Ray Burke.
Bertie Ahern was responding to statements by Albert Reynolds that the former Taoiseach had told him everything he knew about rumours surrounding Ray Burke and that he had asked Maire Geoghegan Quinn to do the same.
Speaking this afternoon in Cork, Mr Ahern confirmed Mr Reynolds’ version of events.
Asked directly if he saw anything in those files which raised alarm bells, Mr Ahern said: "No, I didn't because I wouldn't have appointed him if I did."
The Fianna Fáil leader said that when he subsequently became Taoiseach, the file relating to Mr Burke's involvement in the Passport for Sale scheme was examined again.
Mr Ahern said that although the scheme showed some peculiarities, there was nothing wrong with the processing, the investment or the passport.
In relation to reports alleging that a serving Cabinet Minister was given €100,000, Mr Ahern said those reports could only refer to four current ministers who had served from 1989 to 1992.
He said he had spoken to the four ministers and they had assured him they knew nothing about the matter.
Still questions to be answered says QuinnThe Labour Party has said there are still questions which the Taoiseach must answer about the appointment of Ray Burke as Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1997.
On RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme, the Labour Party leader, Ruairí Quinn, described the background to Mr Burke's appointment as 'murky'.
