Seanad report:The Taoiseach should do another U-turn by coming clean at the Mahon tribunal on his explanations about his finances, said Eugene Regan, Fine Gael spokesman on justice.
Mr Regan said a series of U-turns by the Government on provisional driving licences, Cabinet pay rises and water charges indicated total confusion and a lack of policy direction. They also demonstrated incompetence and the arrogance that went with it.
These U-turns had come about because the Government had been found out by a vigilant Opposition. The Taoiseach himself had been found out in his stories of fictitious dig-outs and whiparounds.
Camillus Glynn (FF) said: "The senator is sounding like a broken record."
Mr Regan suggested that the Taoiseach not persist in the childish stories that he had given to the tribunal.
Cathaoirleach Pat Moylan, who had earlier called Mr Regan to order, said the Fine Gael spokesman should respect the way in which the business of the House was carried out.
Mr Regan responded that he would ask Seanad leader Donie Cassidy to make the Taoiseach aware of his point of view "given this affront to democracy and this destruction of all trust in politics".
Mr Cassidy accused Mr Regan of having an agenda which was being directed by some of his colleagues.
"I want to wish the Taoiseach well in his deliberations over the next few days.
"He is a hard-working, dedicated, decent public representative, and I don't think it behoves us well to be saying anything else. There is no one else as committed to Ireland, or who has done so much for Ireland, as Bertie Ahern has done over the past 30 years.
"Once we go outside Ireland, we realise this. We may not like it, but it's true."
If those on the Government side of the House wanted to go down the road of tribunal witnesses who had done U-turns on evidence, they could certainly talk about lots of people on the Opposition side of the House.
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A whole range of powers delegated by Ministers could be open to question, Alex White (Lab) said when he spoke on the Bill to regularise the legal position of bodies established under a 1961 health Act.
Minister for Health Mary Harney said legal advice on the matter also had implications for bodies set up under the Local Government Services (Corporate Bodies) Act 1971. The Government had decided to draft similar confirming legislation to cover orders made under that Act.
Mr White said the powers that remained open to question constituted a serious issue for the Oireachtas and for the public. If it was urgent to deal with the present matter under the 1961 Act, why was it not equally urgent to deal with other matters?
Ms Harney said consideration had been given to marrying the implications of the Local Government Act with the Bill, but this would have delayed its passage. While she was not running down bodies encompassed by the 1971 Act, their powers, remit and extent of employment were not as significant as what had to be dealt with under the present measure.
Frances Fitzgerald, the Fine Gael leader in the House, said the legislation went way beyond what had originally been stated. It established the legal capacity for hospitals to enter into co-location agreements.
"It even goes further - it actually enables the selling of public land to private health operators. This was never envisaged or mentioned previously. It marks a massive shift in Government policy.
"This introduces a whole new meaning to the Minister's belief in Ireland being closer to Boston than Berlin. It's another step towards the Americanisation of the Irish public health system."
The Bill passed second stage.