Loughrea-based Senator Ciarán Cannon has admitted that he "would share the opinion" of Fiona O'Malley and Mary Harney that issues have arisen over the Taoiseach's finances, especially regarding Gráinne Carruth's evidence, which he said he found "troubling."

Senator Ciarán Cannon.

However, the PD leadership candidate said he didn't agree with Senator O'Malley that the Taoiseach should answer the queries outside the Tribunal.

"Fiona wants it resolved soon – before 20 May, the Taoiseach's next scheduled visit to the Tribunal - but I'm willing to let him address it within the context of the Tribunal. If you go to the trouble of setting up a body you need to stick with the process or you shouldn't have started it to begin with.

"We should let it draw its conclusions; they will be fairly and legally drawn. There's no point intervening and trying to address it now."

However, Senator Cannon admitted that he found the anomalies in the Taoiseach's evidence "troubling". He said the public disquiet over Gráinne Carruth's evidence had to be addressed.

Senator Cannon also echoed calls from his party colleague, Noel Grealish TD, to wind up the Tribunal as soon as possible. "We need the Tribunal to set an end date now, in view of the public disquiet. The costs associated with it are about €500 million and there are more urgent and deserving issues," he said, adding that the public was "getting weary" of the Tribunal.

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