The Cabinet is likely to authorise the drafting of terms of reference for a new tribunal tomorrow, after hearing a report from the Government Chief Whip, Mr Seamus Brennan, on his consultations with Opposition parties. Tomorrow's Cabinet meeting, the first since the return of the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, from a visit to the United States, must decide whether to have further consultations with the Opposition or to begin drawing up possible terms of reference. Government sources said yesterday that ministers were likely to decide the latter.
The proposed remit of the new tribunal would then be put to the whips of the Opposition parties later in the week, in an attempt to have as much agreement as possible before the Dail debate on the McCracken report on September 10th and 11th. The Government wants the Dail to approve the establishment of the tribunal during that debate.
Government sources said yesterday there are two views within Cabinet on how to proceed.
The first is that a tribunal should examine the sources of wealth of Mr Charles Haughey and Mr Michael Lowry and, in the light of this, examine decisions they made in government to see if there is any connection between donations given and decisions made.
The second view is that a specific list of government decisions should be examined by a tribunal. These would include decisions in relation to the beef industry, the Telecom site, the Carysfort land sale, the passports for sale scheme and the award of the State's second GSM mobile phone licence.
Fine Gael and Democratic Left have said that they favour a tribunal examining Mr Haughey's sources of wealth first, before going on to look at specific government decisions.
Government sources said yesterday that no "active consideration" had been given to the idea of asking a new tribunal to investigate links between the Workers' Party and the former Soviet Union, including allegations that the party received money and other assistance from Moscow in the past. But a spokesman said that no issue had yet been ruled out for consideration by a new tribunal.
Labour and Democratic Left have reserved their position on whether the payment to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Burke, in 1989 should be included in the terms of reference of the tribunal. Both parties have said Mr Burke should first give a statement to the Dail and answer questions on the matter. If they are satisfied by this, they say, there would be no need to have the matter investigated by the tribunal.
Government sources say it is unlikely Mr Burke will make a statement to the Dail or answer questions or add to the written statement he issued in early August denying anything improper had occurred. The Government is also sticking to its line that the inclusion of the payment to Mr Burke in the tribunal's remit would be "inappropriate" because the Garda is investigating the matter, an argument which is rejected by the Opposition.
The sources are also adamant that there will be just one tribunal, rejecting suggestions that there should be two such inquiries looking at different issues, either in parallel or consecutively.