THE Minister for Agriculture said there was a "slight inaccuracy" in the written version of an answer he gave to the Dail on an EU fine for breaches of regulations in the beef industry. But the reply he gave to an oral supplementary was fully accurate. Mr Yates said he will give a "fulsome answer" and explain the position fully when he takes a question on the matter tomorrow.
He was replying to a request by the PD leader, Ms Mary Harney, who demanded that he make a personal statement to the House. She said the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture had told the Dail Committee on Public Accounts last Thursday that a parliamentary reply given by the Minister on October 11th was inaccurate.
Mr Michael Finucane (FG, Limerick West) said Ms Harney was misleading the House. He was at the meet in g and it had been clarified that the Minister had fully explained the situation in his supplementary question.