The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, should explain how the building of Dublin's Luas has become a fiasco, his predecessor, Mrs Mary O'Rourke said today.
The Green Party seized on the in-party spat with transport spokesman, Mr Eamon Ryan blaming both Mr Brennan and Mrs O'Rourke for dithering over the project.
The Evening Heraldtoday reported Mrs O'Rourke denying any responsibility for what Mr Brennan recently admitted was a "mess". The paper quotes her saying he should "shape up and stop moaning" about the much-criticised project.
She said costing on the project which could be nearly three times the original estimate was done by her predecessor former Fine Gael TD, Mr Michael Lowry.
Mr Brennan, implicitly criticising Mrs O'Rourke, recently said costing on the project appeared to have been done on the back of an envelope. He also said ideally the whole project should be abandoned and an underground put in its place.
"I was presented with a report on the Luas a month before I left office which stated that everything on-time and on-budget so I really don't know where it all went wrong," Mrs O'Rourke, who is now leader of the Seanad said.
"I would like the Minister to make a statement on exactly how it has all gone wrong", the former minister added.
But Mr Ryan insisted the former deputy leader of Fianna Fáil must also take responsibility:
"The truth is that both the present and the former Minister are fully responsible for the mess that our public transport infrastructure is in ... Both parties involved in this row are past masters at indecision and confusion when it comes to investing in our public transport infrastructure."
He called on Mrs O'Rourke to publish the report indicating the project on- time and on-budget.
And he said Minister Brennan should "concentrate on ways of solving the problems currently facing the Luas project rather that looking for a political scapegoat".