A NUMBER of journalists had been interviewed as a result of inquiries into leaks from the Government, Mr Willie O'Dea (FF, Limerick East) said.

He suggested the inquiries had been "useless", given that they, had yielded nothing. They had been a waste of Garda time. "The level of paranoia demonstrated by all these inquiries contrasts very strangely with the Taoiseach's commitment to operate his Government as if he was acting behind a pane of glass," he added.

Mr Bruton said it was important to make the point that if confidential commercial information was disclosed publicly it could have serious disadvantages for the competitiveness of the company and the security of jobs.

There was a very important need to maintain confidentiality in some Government transactions. Obviously, there was a need also to maintain confidentiality only in regard to those matters which met that test.

It was with a view to allowing for greater access to public information that the Government was promoting the freedom of information legislation, he said.

The Taoiseach said he was not aware of any Garda time being expended on inquiries instigated by himself.

The Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, asked if a Garda inquiry had been initiated into the leak of the Mitchell report to the Irish Independent. He sought an assurance from the Taoiseach that it was not leaked with the knowledge or connivance of any member of the Government or politically appointed staff.

Mr Bruton said the assumption that the report was "disclosed in this jurisdiction" was not necessarily correct. "In fact, I believe it is not correct," he added.

Regarding any investigation off the possibility that the disclosure might have occurred in Dublin, the appropriate department to initiate the inquiry was the Department of Justice. He understood the secretary of the Department was considering what action, if any, he should take in regard to the matter.

The PD leader, Ms Mary Harney, said that given the current crime wave there was no justification for using scarce resources and having gardai investigate leaks by one element of the Governments against another.

Mr Bruton said there had not, to his knowledge, been any leaks by one element of the Government against another. There was no requirement, political or otherwise, for such to occur because the Government was operating in a concerted manner as a team in regard to the Budget and other matters.