The Flood tribunal is to suspend its public hearings during the European and local election campaigns, thus easing the immediate pressure on the Government to explain conflicting accounts of the payment of £30,000 to Mr Ray Burke in 1989.
While it is increasingly possible that the Taoiseach will be asked to give evidence to the tribunal, this will not now happen until after it resumes on June 14th, three days after polling in the local and European elections. It will rise on May 20th for 31/2 weeks.
The tribunal has written to Mr Ahern asking for answers to certain questions, and he has replied. However, at this stage he has not furnished a statement.
The break in public sittings is designed to avoid tribunal proceedings becoming an election issue during the campaign. A number of present and former Dublin county councillors are under investigation by the tribunal, leading to concerns that the names of election candidates could be mentioned during proceedings in Dublin Castle.
The Opposition continued to press for a full investigation into the Sheedy affair yesterday, with Fine Gael calling for the Chief Justice, Mr Justice Hamilton, to be asked to resume his investigation into the Sheedy affair.
The party's justice spokesman, Mr Jim Higgins, said yesterday that seeing as both judges had co-operated with Mr Justice Hamilton's initial inquiry and that both had answered questions concerning their judicial conduct, they could have no objection to doing so again.
The party's finance spokesman, Mr Michael Noonan, maintained yesterday that Mr Justice Hamilton had not been given enough time or scope to carry out a sufficiently in-depth investigation. Mr Higgins said he would ask the Oireachtas committee that is seeking to investigate the affair to adopt this proposal.
That committee, the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Equality and Women's Rights, will receive a detailed legal opinion on Wednesday on the options available to it.
The committee will meet in private on Wednesday, and in public on Thursday, to consider whether to ask the Government to change the law to ensure the former judges at the centre of the case, Mr Hugh O'Flaherty and Mr Cyril Kelly, can be compelled to give evidence on the matter.
After several weeks of pressure on the Government over the Sheedy case and last week's developments at the Flood tribunal, a Sunday Independent/IMS opinion poll has shown a dramatic drop in satisfaction with the Government and the Taoiseach.
In addition, 44 per cent of those polled last Thursday said they did not regard Mr Ahern as a person whose word could be trusted.
Fianna Fail support has also dropped to 47 per cent from 49 per cent last January and 55 per cent in December 1998. This eight-point fall since December is matched by a 17 per cent fall in Government satisfaction from 69 per cent last December to 52 per cent last week.
Satisfaction with Mr Ahern has fallen from 78 per cent to 57 per cent over the period.
Meanwhile the Labour TD, Mr Tommy Broughan, is expected to appear in the witness-box at the Flood tribunal tomorrow. He will be asked about his relations with Mr James Gogarty, a constituent who came to the TD in 1996 with allegations about planning corruption.
Mr Gay Grehan, the director of the Murphy group who told the Tanaiste he understood that Mr Burke was paid £60,000 in return for planning favours, will also be called as a witness this week.
The adjournment in tribunal sittings means the former minister for foreign affairs, Mr Ray Burke, and other leading figures are unlikely to be called to give evidence before mid-June.
The tribunal is expected to continue its investigations during this period and may hold a number of private sessions. The Moriarty tribunal, which is investigating payments to the former Taoiseach, Mr Haughey, and the former Fine Gael minister, Mr Michael Lowry, is to resume public hearings on May 18th. It last sat on March 4th.
The tribunal is to resume evidence on matters it dealt with last February, namely Mr Haughey's loan from AIB, and investments in Celtic Helicopters. It is thought this will take about one week. The tribunal will then rise until after the Whitsun break.
In June the tribunal will begin public hearings on new areas relevant to its terms of reference.