Cabinet red-faced over Punchestown funding deal

CABINET embarrassment over Charlie McCreevy and Joe Walsh’s fast tracking of €15 million worth of funding for a project in the Minister for Finance’s County Kildare heartland deepened yesterday.

As Taoiseach Bertie Ahern declined to comment on the Punchestown controversy, a clearly uncomfortable Tánaiste Mary Harney voiced reservations over the handling of the application for Government funding and said lessons had to be learned.

Ahead of the publication of Government spending estimates for next year and as Mr McCreevy preached about tightening up on escalating project costs, the opposition said the red-faced ministers still had questions to answer on the deal struck to fund the exhibition and show centre.