Ministers and their agencies were yesterday criticised by Opposition leaders for their replies to parliamentary questions and their timing.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, claimed that information about the appointment of Circuit Court judge Mr Brian Curtin to a Garda Complaints Appeals Board had to be "dragged" out of the Minister for Justice.
And the Labour leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, said he got a detailed reply yesterday to questions he had asked seven weeks ago about non-national births in Dublin maternity hospitals.
It "may not have been deliberate" but the reply, issued by the Eastern Regional Health Authority, was dated June 11th - when the citizenship referendum took place. It contained "pages of details on where babies were born which, for the seven weeks before the referendum, I was told was not in the possession of any agency".
During Opposition leaders' questions, Mr Kenny said "some Ministers have become quite arrogant about their parliamentary responsibilities, and the principle of providing full complete answers to Dáil questions".
However, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said "the Government's attitude is that as long as it is a departmental matter, not an agency matter", then we should give full information.
Mr Kenny claimed Mr McDowell, misled the Dáil in replying to a question on June 3rd, and "no apology has been offered to the House".
Mr Ahern said: "I do not think the Minister was misleading the House in any way."
Fine Gael's justice spokesman, Mr Jim O'Keeffe, had asked the Minister if, prior to his judicial appointment, Judge Curtin had been appointed to any State agency or board.
The Minister had replied that in August 2001, the judge had been appointed a member of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal.
Mr Kenny said following a further question, Mr McDowell "admitted yesterday that Mr Curtin, as he was then, had also been appointed to the Garda appeals board panel" by the then Minister, Mr O'Donoghue, in May 2001.
"Allegations are being made to me that this information was deliberately concealed by the Minister. I am not making that charge, but I would like the Taoiseach to ask the Minister to deal with this matter before the House," said Mr Kenny.
Mr Ahern said if information was missed that the person was on the Garda appeals board, then the Minister could not report it. He said Mr Kenny "accepts that this was probably an omission". Normally "it is something that would be included in a reply, and if it were omitted I do not think the Minister was misleading the House in any way".
