The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, will come under severe Opposition pressure today to make a full statement to the Dáil on the claims that a €5,000 bill to Aer Rianta was left unpaid by a Government Minister.
Fine Gael and Labour are to attempt to raise the matter in the Dáil under standing orders, and are to demand that Mr Brennan come out and categorically deny any involvement in the affair. Last night the Fine Gael spokesman for transport, Mr Denis Naughten, called on Mr Brennan to clearly state he is not the Minister involved in the Aer Rianta allegations.
"The absence of a denial from Minister Brennan is feeding speculation which can easily be cleared up by a statement and can prevent this investigation from developing into a farce," he said. Mr Naughten said Mr Brennan must also publish any information currently available to him into the matter.
"It is obvious that a report was presented to the board of Aer Rianta, Now Minister Brennan must do the proper thing and put this report into the public domain."
Mr Naughten said the Taoiseach should interview his Cabinet colleagues in relation to the allegations and categorically state whether or not any of them were involved.
"It is imperative that this issue is cleared up immediately because it is casting serious aspersions on the reputation of Government Ministers, former ministers, Aer Rianta and the Department of Transport."
Referring to the claim yesterday from outgoing Aer Rianta director Mr Dermot O'Leary that he brought the matter of the unpaid gifts to the Minister in question in 1993, Mr Naughten said it was now necessary for Mr Brennan clarify what action was taken.
"The Minister has failed so far to confirm or deny his role in this affair. That puts a huge question mark over the inquiry that he has ordered and threatens to make a complete farce of the investigation."
The Labour Party transport spokeswoman, Ms Roisin Shortall, said that if a current serving Minister is found to have been at the centre of the unpaid bills controversy, he would have to resign. She said the claims by Mr O'Leary that he raised the matter with a Government Minister 10 years ago represented an "extraordinary twist in this bizarre story" and emphasised the need for a full inquiry and early answers.
She said it was not appropriate given the seriousness of the allegations involved that this should be an "in-house" inquiry within the Department of Transport.
This was especially so given the reportedly strained relations between the Department and Aer Rianta, she added. Ms Shortall said it would be far more appropriate for the inquiry to be conducted by some reputable person outside of the Department.
"Mr Ahern should now take charge of this situation and request the Secretary General to the Government to undertake a full inquiry and report back to him, not to Minister Brennan, at the earliest possible date."