Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Noel Treacy has told the Mahon tribunal that he has no evidence to back up his claim that a well-known source inside the inquiry was constantly leaking information for political purposes.
Mr Treacy said he made the claim early in the morning in a radio interview in answer to an unexpected question about Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's private finances.
He said he had been reflecting what he thought was "the overall consensus publicly" that there was constant leaks from the tribunal but he admitted the language he used was probably inappropriate.
"The tribunal were concerned that my statement had affected their operation and integrity and I regret that," he told reporters outside the tribunal today.
In the interview on Newstalk 106, Mr Treacy said: " The Irish Timessays that it has information from other sources, but it is a well-known fact that the tribunal leaks like a sieve and it is well known who the conduit is.
"It is well known that there is constant leaking for political purposes," he said, and when asked if the identity of the alleged leaker was known, he went on, "I think it is, yes".