THE names of politicians who received payments from Dunnes Stores should be known by the middle of next week.
The Government is proposing that a Dail sub-committee hold public hearings with politicians named in the Price Waterhouse report. However, the investigation will be handicapped by the fact that the sub-committee will not have sight of or access to the report.
In a convoluted mechanism to overcome legal difficulties and hold a controlled inquiry, the Government proposed to opposition parties last night that "an eminent person" would receive the Price Waterhouse report early next week. Having examined it, a list of names would be made of former and serving members of the Dail who received payments from Mr Ben Dunne.
The "eminent person" would give the list to the Ceann Comhairle, Mr Sean Treacy, who would, in turn, submit it to the Dail's Committee on Procedure and Privileges. That committee, which has a Government majority, would set up a special sub-committee to hear public evidence from the politicians.
These proposals were conveyed by the Minister for Finance, Mr Quinn, and the Minister for Defence and the Marine, Mr Barrett, to Dr Martin Manseragh of Fianna Fail and Mr Michael McDowell of the Progressive Democrats last night. The PDs in a statement said they disagreed with the proposals. A Fianna Fail spokesman would make no comment.
The former Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr P.L. McDonnell, was proposed as the "eminent person" to receive the Price Waterhouse report.
The three Coalition leaders will meet this afternoon to consider the position. Under the Government's proposals, the "eminent person" would conduct a trawl of the report to list the names of any public servants who may have received payments. That list would be submitted to a similar committee for investigation after Christmas. No details of the precise mechanism for this investigation were supplied to opposition leaders.
With the urgent necessity to be seen to restore public confidence in the political system, several defects in the Government's proposals were already becoming evident last night. But, Government sources cited the abundance of 1,500 names listed in the Price Waterhouse report and the legal complexity of the situation in defence of their method of inquiry.
The Government has entered a legal agreement with Dunnes Stores to receive the Price Waterhouse report, minus internal commercial information about the company. It was unclear if the appendices to the report would be handed over.
It appears that the Committee on Procedure and Privileges may not have the bower to call former members of the Dail before it. It does not have the authority to compel witnesses.
