There was uproar in the Dail when questions were asked about the decision by an appeal commissioner to dismiss Mr Charles Haughey's tax assessment.

Deputies expressed outrage at the ruling by the commissioner, a brother-in-law of the Taoiseach.

The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, stressed that the commissioners were independent in the exercise of their duty, which was a quasi-judicial one. In a two page statement the Minister said he had no detailed information about the case. "I have not asked Revenue for details on an individual tax case nor do I intend to do so.

"The House will know that it is not the practice to comment on individual cases, especially where it is likely that there will be further proceedings which it would be unwise to prejudice."

The Minister was responding to private notice questions put by four opposition TDs. Mr Pat Rabbitte, (DL, Dublin South- West) and the Labour finance spokesman, Mr Derek McDowell, had asked what the Minister was doing to restore public confidence in the tax collection system given the decision in this case.

Fine Gael's finance spokesman, Mr Michael Noonan, called for urgent legislation to ensure that when a tribunal of inquiry established that an individual had evaded tax, such tax would be collected by the Revenue Commissioners.

Mr McCreevy said he expected that the Revenue Commissioners would be appealing this case "in keeping with their normal practice."