Mr Pat Rabbitte, the Labour Party TD, appears not to have disclosed the fact that he received £2,000 from Mr Frank Dunlop when asked specifically by the Flood tribunal as recently as five months ago if he had received money from the lobbyist.
Mr Rabbitte was one of several former Dublin county councillors asked last December in a tribunal questionnaire if he was in receipt "at any time or for any purpose" of "payments, donations or favours" from any parties involved in the development of Quarryvale, including Mr Dunlop.
Mr Rabbitte told The Irish Times last night that he did not have a detailed recollection of the letter and was not in a position to say how he had answered until his files were checked. However, he is on record this week as confirming that he never informed the tribunal that he received, and later returned, £2,000 in cash from Mr Dunlop before the 1992 general election. He regarded the £2,000 as an election donation and nothing to do with the terms of the tribunal, which was concerned with planning matters.
When asked by The Irish Times on Thursday if he received the questionnaire and how he had replied, Mr Rabbitte said: "If you say I got the letter, well then I did. I have answered truthfully to the tribunal at all times."
Later, when The Irish Times read a section of the questionnaire, in which Mr Rabbitte was asked if he had attended any public meetings about Quarryvale, apart from council meetings, he said that he remembered that question. However, he did not specifically recall being asked if he had received payments from any party acting on behalf of Quarryvale, including Mr Dunlop.
Former Dublin county councillors received two letters from Flood - one more than two years ago, before hearings began, and the more specific one relating to Quarryvale last December.
In a number of media interviews on Thursday, Mr Rabbitte said Mr Dunlop had called unannounced to his home before polling day and given him the money in cash. He explained to Mr Dunlop that he had to have the donation cleared by his then party, Democratic Left. After the election he returned the money to Mr Dunlop, saying it was considered that there might be a conflict of interest. The money was returned by cheque for purposes of record.
Mr Rabbitte said that since the money had been returned he did not consider that he received money from Mr Dunlop.
The tribunal letter last December asked a number of questions about Quarryvale. Councillors were asked to provide a statement, based on these questions, by January 31st.
The letter contained six questions. The sixth question was: "Whether you were at any time or for any purpose in receipt of any payments, donations or benefits (including any form of gift, assistance, service, facility, entertainment or any other benefit of a non-monetary nature) from any parties who were involved in the development of Quarryvale shopping centre, or from any persons or companies acting on behalf of developers. The parties who have been involved in the development of Quarryvale appear to have been Barkhill Ltd, Riga Ltd, O'Call aghan Properties Ltd, Owen O'Callaghan and Thomas Gil martin."
It continued: "The parties which appear to have acted on behalf of the developers are Frank Dunlop and Associates, Shefran Ltd and Frank Dunlop."
Councillors were asked if they had attended any public or private meetings about Quarryvale and, if so, to give the "name, purpose, dates and venues" of such meetings and the identity of those present. They were also asked if they had been requested to assist in relation to the rezoning of Quarryvale or if they had been lobbied on rezoning.