Quickfire Tánaiste

TÁNAISTE Mary Harney was asked a series of 18 questions yesterday about the Punchestown affair and the damning report of the Public Accounts Committee on the allocation of €15 million to the project.

Deputising for the Taoiseach in the Dáil, Ms Harney's initial response to the first seven questions lasted just 14 seconds regarded as one of the shortest in the history of leaders' questions.

"We must learn lessons from the report of the comptroller and auditor general regarding the evaluation procedure for capital projects and the processes we have in place in departments," she said.