It gives me no satisfaction to have to raise again matters about which the Taoiseach spoke yesterday. However, it appears the credibility of the Taoiseach as leader of the country is being torn to shreds by contradictions emerging from statements he made here and elsewhere. The Irish people do not give two hoots whether the Taoiseach and Mr. Padraic O'Connor were friends, but it matters to them that they are not taken for fools. The Taoiseach can accept as a fact that a €5,000 donation ended up in one of his personal bank accounts. Could the Taoiseach clarify three important issues as much for me as for anybody else?

On the national airwaves, the Taoiseach told Mr. Bryan Dobson of RTE that Mr. O'Connor accepted that he took the money only on the basis that it was a loan, a debt of honour, and that he would repay it with interest. The Taoiseach told the Mahon tribunal that he thanked Mr. O'Connor for this money. The Taoiseach told Mr. Dobson on RTE that he offered to repay the money to Mr. O'Connor. Those are three statements the Taoiseach made in the full knowledge of what he was saying. I have the quotes and the references here if the Taoiseach wants me to read them out. I am sure he does not. Does the Taoiseach still say he personally thanked Mr. O'Connor for this money? Does he still say he told Mr. O'Connor he would accept the money only as a loan? Does he still say he offered to repay the money? These are three questions directly relevant to three statements the Taoiseach made.

I am loath to get into questions I have to answer in the tribunal because it upsets the learned gentlemen. While I accept that I have a job in this House, it is unfair if I have to have a tribunal here and another outside.

It was on television.

He cannot answer the question.

I will try to answer Deputy Kenny's questions briefly. I thanked Mr. O'Connor and I have no doubt whatever about that. I accepted the money as a loan from the individual who gave it to me. On the third question, I cannot be certain, but that is my recollection.

When did the Taoiseach thank Padraic O'Connor?

I answered that.

No, no.

He answered nothing.

He is off on his legal theme.

I said I will.

The Taoiseach was asked yesterday, and he commented freely, about a false invoice. I have the quotation where he said he thanked Mr. O'Connor in January. Does the Taoiseach still accept that this was a debt of honour and a loan that he said he would repay with interest? The Taoiseach must return to the tribunal to answer more questions. Fundamentally, the equivalent of €300,000 in today's terms, found its way into personal accounts controlled by him. The sad fact is that the public has not been given credible explanations as to how that happened, why, who paid it and for what reason. As I said earlier, the Irish are a forgiving people, but they should not be taken for fools. If there was a simple explanation for this, I am sure it would have been given long ago.

I ask Deputy Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach and leader of the country to spit it all out, warts and all, so that at least the people have the facts. If this goes on, his credibility as the leader of our country will be torn to shreds. People do not believe him. They cannot assimilate the contradictory statements about these payments to the Taoiseach, over this 18-month to two-year period. In his own interest, as the leader of his party and the country, before his credibility is torn to shreds, I ask him to clarify, once and for all, the background to the equivalent of €300,000 paid to him, who paid it, where it came from and why. He might save everybody, including himself, a great deal of trouble.

It is important I point out to Deputy Kenny what while recognising as Chair the necessity for political accountability, and its importance for any democracy, it is important to recognise that this House has delegated certain matters to the tribunal which is engaged in a public inquiry into very serious matters. It is not possible for me as Chair, to allow the proceedings of that tribunal to be replicated here while recognising, nonetheless, the need to ensure that there is political accountability. In other words, it would not, for example, be proper for a question to be asked or answered as to the veracity or otherwise of a given statement which was made at the tribunal. We cannot go into that type of detail here and Deputy Kenny will understand that as well as I do. I call on the Taoiseach.

Ceann Comhairle——

Before the Taoiseach speaks — I referred to the public comments made by him on national television, which he knew he was making and which are completely contradicted by persons in business and other locations, at the tribunal and outside. The Taoiseach spoke freely about this yesterday, in public.

I must fulfil my duty to this House as well. I call on the Taoiseach.

The Deputy should leave it to the tribunal.

We know where Deputy Dermot Ahern is coming from.

We know where the Deputy is coming from, too.

He did the job in London well.

Deputy Dermot Ahern fell off the tree.

If Deputy Kenny wonders what I said a few years ago in the public domain, I answered about that extensively in the House two weeks later, back in 2006. I believe I have answered all the other questions as well. My position is as it was. It is my absolute belief that I thanked Padraic O'Connor in January 1994. I accepted the payment on a loan basis. As the Deputy knows, it was to pay the costs of my legal separation.

Did the Taoiseach ever pay VAT on a loan?

Please. Deputy Kenny has just tried to embarrass me into answering him, but I shall try to do it, anyway. I know Deputy Kenny's office continuously refers to €300,000, but the tribunal clarified the figure as £39,000, so why are we getting into that? I did not speak yesterday. Although it is not always easy, I do my best to show a civil attitude towards the media when they turn up. When they turn up sometimes in large numbers and start to push each other, that can be difficult, but I try. Sometimes I am disappointed if they ask me a whole list of questions and when I take the trouble to answer them they just will not publish them, as happened this morning. However, that is life. Anyway, that is my position and the issue——-

There is no answer.

——-as regards it being a loan. The Deputy should not follow his script, when I did not reply with what he thought I would say. When I answer, he should not say I have no answer. Deputy Kenny asked me a straight question and——

I was talking about when the Taoiseach thanked Padraic O'Connor, and whether that was for a loan or a contribution.

I accepted it on the basis that it was a loan from the individual who gave it to me. If I can make this——--

Deputy Kenny intervened; the Taoiseach has replied and we move on to Deputy Gilmore. That is the way it has to be. Those are Standing Orders.

The nearer I come to the evidence, the Ceann Comhairle intervenes.

I cannot go into this, now. I cannot do so.

The loan never happened, so the "thank you" cannot have happened.

We cannot go into that minutiae because there is a tribunal of inquiry which has been delegated powers to deal with that matter.