The Taoiseach "utterly" rejected as a "blatant distortion of the truth", any imputation that he interfered in the planning process over a Co Roscommon quarry.
In a surprise appearance in the Dáil yesterday evening, Mr Ahern said: "I was simply seeking on compassionate grounds more time for the close relative of a constituent, who was undergoing very distressing and debilitating cancer treatment, to deal with the matter." He said "as a public representative in this democracy, I contend it was 100 per cent legitimate for me to raise this matter on behalf of a constituent with the local authority concerned. And my constituency office dealt with this in a totally proper manner."
A letter from Mr Ahern's constituency office asked Roscommon County Council's enforcement officer to "put on hold" its unauthorised development case against the quarry owner, until his chemotherapy treatment was finished.
Mr Ahern said the council had issued a planning enforcement notice and Mr Brian Murray had 28 days to comply or face criminal charges. "In effect all the letter did ask for was that proceedings be put on hold until Mr Brian Murray was well enough to deal with the problem, one way or another."
However, Fine Gael's environment spokesman, Mr Bernard Allen, said a letter from the Taoiseach, "the prime minister of the country, to a middle-ranking official in Roscommon County Council" could be seen as a "form of intimidation". He said the Taoiseach's letter said: "I would be grateful" but it could imply that "if a certain line wasn't taken, the Taoiseach would be very ungrateful".
Mr Ahern did not personally sign the letter but he said: "I take full responsibility as a public representative for the correspondence issued in my name."
He said, however, that the letter did not say activities at the quarry complied with the planning code. It did not seek to influence the council's views of the planning laws and it did not ask for legal proceedings not to be taken.
A report in yesterday's Irish Independent alleged that Mr Ahern personally attempted to have the planning enforcement section of the council suspend action against the owner and operators of the quarry near Athleague, until the owner completed medical treatment.
"I want to unequivocally state that the only motivation in making representation on this matter was from a compassionate perspective. It is a blatant distortion of the truth to suggest there was any attempt to interfere in the planning process. At no time did I seek to influence the council's decision regarding the unauthorised development case," Mr Ahern said.
There were only about half a dozen TDs in the chamber, when Mr Ahern unexpectedly arrived just before the Dáil went into recess for Christmas.
The Taoiseach described the report as a "disingenuous charge". He also said he was "saddened to see that the Opposition have sought to make a political football out of what was a compassionate gesture on behalf of a constituent with a close family member suffering from cancer".
Mr Allen said it was a "cause for concern that this matter wasn't in the Taoiseach's own constituency". He also said it was "totally wrong for the Taoiseach to attempt to intervene in a legal enforcement" case.
Mr Ahern said that a constituent, Mr Kevin Murray, attended his Drumcondra clinic which was taken by his constituency colleague Senator Cyprian Brady on November 10th last, because Mr Ahern was away on Government business.
Mr Murray said that Roscommon County Council was taking an unauthorised development case against the operation of a family quarry at Scrine, Rahara. He said his brother Brian was receiving chemotherapy treatment for cancer at the time. The council was "causing a lot of stress for his brother at a time when he was receiving critical and debilitating medical treatment" and Mr Murray asked if there was any possibility that, on humanitarian grounds, the case could be put on hold until the treatment finished. A letter was sent two days later to the council, asking only that the issue be put on hold until Mr Murray's medical treatment was finished.
