The Taoiseach has rejected allegations that he was in breach of ethics legislation in relation to the use of his constituency office. Mr Ahern amended his declaration under the Ethics in Public Office Act to register St Luke's, his office in Drum condra, Dublin, over the past four years. St Luke's is held in trust by Fianna Fail members.
Labour Party TD Mr Tommy Broughan said yesterday the Taoiseach had been "forced" to make the amended declaration and it was a major embarrassment for Mr Ahern and the Government, he said.
"It defies belief that the Taoiseach, who repeatedly boasts about the record of his Government in regard to legislation on standards, should have failed to declare such a significant and valuable resource as St Luke's," Mr Broughan said.
However, according to Minister of State Mr Eoin Ryan, the Taoiseach had sought the advice of the Public Offices Commission as to whether he had to declare the office under the Ethics in Public Office Act, as well as the Electoral Act, under which it was already declared.
"The issue therefore was not whether he was declaring his constituency office - he was. It was whether he was obliged to declare it twice," said Mr Ryan.
An official from the Taoiseach's Department made an inquiry from the Public Offices Commission in February regarding the matter. A record of the conversation was released by the Department of the Taoiseach yesterday.
That record stated that given that the office had already been disclosed under the Electoral Act, "it was accepted that registration under the Ethics in Public Office Act could be regarded as dual disclosure". However, it said that in the case of the Ethics in Public Office Act non-disclosure would amount to a technical breach of the Act.
"The circumstances which require dual disclosure are, the commission understands, being addressed in the Standards in Public Office Bill which is currently before the Dail," it said.
But Mr Broughan said that in making the amended declaration the Taoiseach, was, in effect, acknowledging that he had been in breach of the Ethics in Public Office Act, when it came into operation.