No question of Mahon being wound up - Ahern

The Taoiseach said today there was no question of the Mahon tribunal being closed down despite concern over rising legal costs - which may exceed €1 billion by the time it finishes.

Minister for the Environment Dick Roche confirmed that he contacted the tribunal regarding its costs and time frame and would review the situation at the end of March.

Mr Roche denied allegations that certain parties were trying to "clip the wings" of the tribunal during its inquiry in the Quarryvale lands in Dublin.

He said it was his intention to see the tribunal working "efficiently and effectively" and that he personally had a high regard for Judge Mahon.

Yesterday Tánaiste Michael McDowell raised the issue of winding up the tribunal due to rising legal costs, saying: "At some stage we have to ask ourselves is it worthwhile proceeding any further in those circumstances. It can't go on forever. €1 billion is a lot of money to spend on investigating corruption in our local government process."

But today Mr Ahern said the inquiry into planning corruption had a number of modules left and that there was a commitment about how these would be handled.

Mr McDowell denied there were differences of opinion within the Government about the future of the tribunal which was established in 1997.

He also denied ever calling for the inquiry to closed down but repeated his assertion that it cannot "go on forever" regardless of the costs involved.

Mr McDowell was attending the inaugural plenary session of the Towards 2016 national wage agreement along with Mr Ahern at Dublin Castle this morning

The main Opposition parties today called on the Government to clarify its position on the tribunal.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the absence of the Taoiseach and Tánaiste from the Dáil was a "contemptuous snub" and demanded a full explanation about the future of the Mahon tribunal.

A vote was called to amend the standing orders to facilitate a late sitting for a debate on the issue.

Social Affairs Minister Seamus Brennan - who took the Order of Business in the Dáil in place of Mr McDowell - said: "The Government never has and never will interfere with any tribunal, including the Mahon tribunal."

He added: "It has very important work to do and it must do that work to completion."

Green TD John Gormley said: "The Tánaiste seems to have lost the plot completely again, and it looks like he will self-destruct before the general election."

Additional reporting PA