The leader of the Progressive Democrats, Michael McDowell, announced today that his party is not withdrawing from the Coalition Government with Fianna Fáil. However, Mr McDowell said the Taoiseach must now make a full statement on his financial affairs before the people go to the polls on May 24 th.
Speaking at a press conference in Dublin this morning, Mr McDowell said that it had become clear that the information given to him by Mr Ahern had been far from complete.
He said: "During last week I received additional information from a number of sources, which suggest that a picture given by various parties to the tribunal differed markedly from that given by the Taoiseach last Autumn".
Mr McDowell said that in those circumstances he felt it was important to "ascertain whether these suggestions coming from those different sources were correct".
The Tanaiste said that it now appeared that the Mahon Tribunal had been given a "radically different account of the transactions which were the subject of public controversy last Autumn from that that was given to me then by the Taoiseach."
He said it was essential that the "Taoiseach must make a comprehensive statement addressing all the new information now in the public domain and that he must do so before the people cast their votes on May 24 th".
Mr McDowell said his party would not withdraw from the Government simply to make a political point as it would serve no useful purpose.
Speaking on Sky News this morning, Mr Ahern said he had already given an explantion to the Mahon Tribunal, and insisted that he had no difficulties in making public the details he had given in private session.
Mr Ahern denied any involvment in the two issues in question, firstly that he received money from property developer Owen O'Callaghan and secondly that he blocked the tax designation for a shopping development in the west Dublin.
The Taoiseach also denied that he had ever misled the people and that he had given an account of his financial records to two different tribunals and the Revenue Commissioners.
Mr Ahern later said of a possible statement on the issue: "If I can pull all of the stuff together, I am not adverse to doing that."
He said he would meet Mr McDowell in Belfast on Tuesday at the inauguration of Northern Ireland powersharing.
Speaking outside his St Luke's constituency office in north Dublin, he added: "The lifetime of this Government is nearly over anyway so we just have to keep working. It has been a very good government and we have worked very hard."