Kenny challenges FF on use of Government cash

FINE Gael leader Enda Kenny last night accused Fianna Fáil of using Government resources to fund party political propaganda.

The leader of the opposition demanded to know why an FF election document on jobs was credited to the Enterprise Department on a party website.

“The Taoiseach must admit that using State facilities for party political ends is a clear breach off the code of conduct. It is now the case that Fianna Fáil is completely incapable of distinguishing the people’s money from the party’s money.

“It is also the case that taxpayers not only pay the price for this Government’s failures, but that they also pay the price for this Government’s election propaganda,” Mr Kenny said as he challenged the Taoiseach.

Government chief whip Tom Kitt later dismissed the FG charge.

“Enda Kenny has again thrown out an accusation without bothering to check his facts, wasting Dáil time because of his obsession with attack politics.

“Mr Kenny claimed that he had ‘proof’ that civil servants had prepared Fianna Fáil’s document on employment as released last week. If he had bothered checking his facts he would have discovered that the document was prepared solely by a political adviser and Fianna Fáil staff.

“Under legislation, a political advisor is explicitly allowed to do party political work in addition to public work. Furthermore can Deputy Kenny really be confident that no Fine Gael or Labour political advisors did the same before the 1997 election?

“This is a typical piece of nonsense from a party leader who, as we discovered this weekend, is obsessed with throwing unsubstantiated dirt but claims he is ready to be Taoiseach in a few weeks time,” he said.