The Taoiseach said he did not know who had chartered the plane which flew over Croke Park on Sunday, trailing a banner with the words "Thank You, Bertie." The incident took place at the closing ceremony of the Special Olympics.
The Labour party leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, asked if the plane was a creature of the Government Information Service. "Does he have any idea from where the aeroplane took off, who is behind it, who paid for it, or what it was about?" he added.
Mr Ahern said: "I know absolutely nothing about the aeroplane over Croke Park, good, bad, or indifferent." The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, asked if there could be a situation "where unidentified aircraft are flying over our cities with the Taoiseach's name hanging out the back." He added that the airline industry was one of the most regulated in the world and the same standards applied to it in Ireland as anywhere else.
"I am sure it would be of interest to the Taoiseach to find out from where this plane came," said Mr Kenny. Mr Ahern replied: "It would."
Mr Rabbitte asked Mr Ahern if new instructions had been given to the Government Press Office or the Government Information Service on the circumstances in which he would accept questions from the media at functions or events.
Mr Ahern said no new instructions had been issued. Due to the growth in the number of broadcast media attending public engagements, it was necessary to purchase a microphone stand, which provided all broadcasters with a platform on which to put their microphones for ease of access and recording. Two such stands were purchased at a total cost of €80.
Mr Rabbitte said that a few weeks ago, he overheard a journalist being berated by a member of the information service for door-stepping Ministers on their way into Cabinet meetings. "I happened to overhear the journalist being told in no uncertain fashion that that would not be acceptable any more," he added.
