The Government yesterday rejected claims by the Labour leader, Mr Ruairí Quinn, that the appointment of extra judges to the Flood tribunal was being delayed for electoral purposes.
A Government spokeswoman said two people would be appointed to the tribunal within a month. She said it had been extremely difficult to get judges, but the arrangements were now being finalised.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio yesterday, Mr Quinn said the Government's delay in appointing extra judges to the tribunal was "very sinister".
"Justice Flood wrote to the Oireachtas in the middle of last June asking as a matter of urgency that extra members be provided before the Dáil went into recess on July 5th.
"This Government has refused to accede to that request," he said.
"One can only presume that the Taoiseach does not want the Flood tribunal to proceed at the speed and at the pace that could perhaps bring on to the witness stand and into the tribunal people who might have things to say that would not be to the comfort of Fianna Fáil."
The Labour leader said he would be consulting with Fine Gael and the Green Party in the coming days with a view to bringing a Dáil motion demanding the immediate appointment of extra judges to the tribunal.
Also yesterday, Mr Quinn called for an early election, saying that the country was in a state of paralysis as the Government was making no decisions because of the pending election.
"I think it's the worst government of all times in the sense that no government of its type ever had so much resources available to it and yet when you look at where those resources have gone, we've had four wasted years," Mr Quinn said.
Asked if the Labour Party would be making any election pacts, he said party members had made it clear in September that they wanted to enter the election as an independent group.
However, he would be recommending to the Labour Party that they only participate in a government with a clear commitment to abolishing the two-tier health system.
Mr Quinn said the Labour TD, Mr Pat Rabbitte, was entitled to his personal views when he said he would not serve in any Fianna Fáil-led coalition.
The Labour leader said his authority was not being undermined by that statement, or by Mr Dick Spring's statement that he would like a ministry in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the party got into government.
On the Green Party's demand for changes to the Nice Treaty before taking part in any government coalition, Mr Quinn said changes would have to be made to the treaty before another referendum.
"I don't believe that putting the Nice Treaty back again to the people in exactly the same way as it was done before will actually be acceptable to the vast bulk of the Irish electorate.
"We are going to have to look at ways in which enlargement can proceed and I gather that the Greens are open to that proposition," he said.
He added that if military neutrality had broad support across the political spectrum then perhaps this stance should be enshrined in the Constitution.
