THE Tanaiste, Mr Spring, is expected to report to the Dail this morning on the Government's attempts to get a copy of the Price Waterhouse report voluntarily from the Dunne family.
Significant progress was made at a meeting last night between representatives of the Government and Dunnes Stores, according to a Government statement, and a further meeting between their respective legal advisers will take place today.
A copy of the controversial report believed to detail payments made by Mr Ben Dunne to several people, including a prominent Fianna Fail figure was given to the Revenue Commissioners by Dunnes Stores yesterday. But information sent to the Commissioners is treated in a highly confidential manner and there is no avenue for it to be transferred to the political domain.
The Government statement said the meetings with Dunnes were being held "with a view to securing the publication, in so far as it relates to payments to elected representatives, political parties, holders of public office and public servants of a report which has been a matter of recent public speculation".
Mr Spring telephoned Mrs Margaret Heffernan, chief executive of Dunnes Stores, before lunchtime yesterday to express the views of all party leaders in the Dail that the secret Price Waterhouse report was a cause of concern. It cast "a pall of suspicion" over the body politic.
It was at this stage that Dunnes decided to hand over the copy of the report to the Revenue Commissioners. Mrs Heffernan indicated to Mr Spring that the company was prepared to co operate in so far as it could with the Government. It is understood arrangements were then made for Mrs Heffernan to contact the Taoiseach's Department.
Further contacts were made between both sides in the afternoon to see how they could advance the situation. Legal advisers for the company and the Government became involved last night.
Given that the Attorney General, Mr Dermot Gleeson, had acted as senior counsel for Mr Ben Dunne in the litigation between him and the Dunne family, procedures have been put in place in the Attorney General's office to ensure that any advice required by the Government can be provided without Mr Gleeson becoming involved.
The directors of Dunnes Stores spent the day in consultation with their legal advisers, William Fry solicitors, Dublin, discussing the ramifications of handing over the document.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Dunnes Stores said the report was a document prepared in a "privileged context" and it wished to assist the Revenue Commissioners "subject to legal constraint".
This was understood to have referred to the fact that the report was drafted as part of preparations for a multi million pound court battle between Mr Ben Dunne and his siblings, Mr Frank Dunne, Mrs Heffernan, and Ms Therese Dunne. The case was settled out of court in 1994, with Mr Ben Dunne getting a reported £125 million.
The enormity of the cloud hanging over all politicians in the wake of the Lowry affair and the reports about a senior Fianna Fail figure was acknowledged by the Tanaiste on the Order of Business in the Dail yesterday morning. This followed discussions between the three Coalition leaders after the debate on Tuesday night.
Responding to the PD leader Ms Mary Harney, Mr Spring said the Government was looking at a number of possibilities, particularly the application of Section 8 of the Companies Act, 1990, as requested by Ms Harney. The Government was not sure it was the correct remedy, but it was getting legal advice.