Govt under pressure to allow more time for payments debate

The Government is under pressure to allow more time for the Dáil to debate the controversy surrounding payments to the Taoiseach.

The current plan is for the Taoiseach to make a five-minute statement tomorrow explaining the Stg£8,000 (€12,000) he received from a group of businessmen in Manchester in 1994.

This will be followed by statements from opposition party leaders and then a 21-minute question-and-answer session.

The opposition has accused the Government of denying the Dáil the opportunity to seek accountability and is seeking more time for questions to be asked.

The party whips are expected to meet today to discuss the situation, with newspaper reports suggesting that the Dáil's standing orders may be suspended to allow for more time.