THE Minister for Social Welfare, Mr De Rossa, was informally approached by the office of the Ceann Comhairle, who said the best way to resolve the controversy surrounding his statement on the five appointments to his private office was to make a personal statement to the Dail.

The dispute over Mr De Rossa's apology ended yesterday, when the Minister took the unusual step of making a personal, statement through Irish, during `Private Members' time, to the House. In a departure from custom, he did not inform the Ceann Comhairle, Mr Sean Treacy, of his intention to deliver the statement.

Generally reiterating the contents of a letter he had previously sent to the Ceann Comhairle, the Minister said he was sorry insofar as certain people believed that he attempted to mislead them. It was never his intention to do so.

He said he would also like to state that he forgave the Progressive Democrats finance spokesman, Mr Michael McDowell, and everyone else, for insulting him in the last week or two. He would make every effort to be more humble in future, he said.

However, Mr De Rossa was accused of misusing the Irish language. Ms Moire Geoghegan Quinn said nobody had more affection for the national language than she did, but Mr De Rossa was aware that not every body understood precisely what he had to say.

Mr McDowell said he was not as fluent as the Minister but understood everything he said. However, it was "shameful of him to misuse the national language to hide the truth for a second time. That's what he was doing and it is a disgrace".

Mr De Rossa has withdrawn a letter of complaint he wrote to the Committee on Procedures and Privilege about the claim by Mr Joe Walsh of Fianna Fail that he was a "liar".

Fianna Fail has also withdrawn its complaint to the Committee on Procedure and Privilege arising from Mr De Rossa's remark in the Dail that they were "a pathetic bunch of liars".

A spokesman for Mr De Rossa rejected objections raised by the Fianna Fail chief whip, Mr Dermot Ahern, over access which the five appointees had to memorandums and proposals to Government.

Mr Ahern described this access as an affront to cabinet confidentiality but the Minister's spokesman said the situation is "no different to that of political advisers employed by Fianna Fail Ministers in Government".