I thank the House for the opportunity to make this personal explanation. The purpose of doing so is to address the reference in the report of the Tribunal of Inquiry (Dunnes Stores Payments) to the statement which I made to this House on 19 December last. On that occasion I sought the opportunity to make a statement to this House so that I could address the innuendoes that arose following the disclosure that Dunnes Stores had paid for works to my house in Holycross.
It was being widely suggested that Dunnes Stores paid for the works to my house in return for political favours. The purpose of making my statement was to categorically refute that false charge. Speculation about the Price Waterhouse report was rife at that time as extracts had been leaked to the media. I told this House, correctly, on 19 December that I had not seen the Price Waterhouse report nor have I seen it since. I attempted to deal with the elements of that report which I understood referred to my business.
During the course of my address to the Dáil I made the following statements:
I did not make any secret of the fact that Dunnes Stores paid me for professional services by way of assistance towards my house. If someone were trying to hide income, would he or she not be more likely to put it in an offshore account? The last thing such a person would do would be to spend it on a very obvious structure of bricks and mortar for all the world to see.
This statement was intended merely to address the fact that Dunnes Stores had paid for construction work to my house, that this was well known to a significant number of people, and that I made no effort whatsoever to conceal it. My reference to offshore accounts in this context, therefore, was intended only to illustrate this point. With the benefit of hindsight I now accept that the words I used and the example I gave were most unfortunate and conveyed a misleading impression. I fully accept responsibility for that. However, I categorically assure this House that it was not my intention to mislead. I offer my full and sincere apologies to the Ceann Comhairle and to all Members of the House then and now for having misled them in any way.
During the course of my Dáil statement I also referred to some payments made to me by Dunnes Stores. These were the payments which I understood had been referred to in the Price Waterhouse report. The tribunal report notes that I made no mention whatever of other sums, including large payments paid to me by Dunnes Stores. I now accept that for completeness I should have done so. I offer my full and sincere apologies also for this omission. Again, it was not my intention to mislead. I was, in fact, confining myself to what I understood to be references in the Price Waterhouse report.
I ask the House to understand that I am constrained about addressing here the corporate and tax aspects of my affairs as these are currently the subject of review by the relevant authorities. Overall the difficulties I now face are substantial. I have contributed to my own misfortune. I have not managed my affairs as well as I should have and I have admitted making mistakes. They relate not to my actions as a holder of public office but to my personal and financial affairs. I have already paid, and continue to pay, a very high price as a consequence.
In conclusion, I apologise again to this House for any inadvertent misleading impression that my statement of 19 December may have conveyed. I ask for its acceptance of that apology and for its understanding in what are for me very difficult times.