During that time he has also worked as a consultant psychologist and, until 2003, he was head of the department of psychology at St John of God Hospital in Dublin. But none of these political and professional endeavours is relevant to Lydon's attempt to win another term as a Fianna F�il senator. Lest anyone forget, Lydon - who's been a regular attendee at the planning inquiry - is the politician who gave inaccurate information to an internal Fianna F�il inquiry about money he received from a property developer.

Back in 2000, in the aftermath of Frank Dunlop's explosive claims about planning bribery, Fianna F�il established an internal party inquiry. All the party's elected representatives in Dublin were asked to provide information about money they had received from developers from the late 1980s onwards. The inquiry led to the expulsion of Liam Lawlor from Fianna F�il for failing to provide accurate information to the inquiry.

But it took the Mahon tribunal to reveal that Lydon also gave inaccurate information to the Fianna F�il inquiry.

Early last year, Lydon admitted to the tribunal that he received �7,000 in two payments from developer Christopher Jones in 1992. He said the payments were political donations. In October 1992, he seconded a motion to rezone lands belonging to the same developer but, he argued, the money had not influenced him in his role as a local councillor.

Since that information emerged the tribunal has also discovered that Lydon received a further �2,000 from Jones in 1993. When questioned at the Mahon tribunal, Lydon said he saw no connection between his role as a councillor having oversight of rezonings and the payment of money to him by Jones. When asked by tribunal chairman Alan Mahon if he thought there may be an issue of "perception" about these payments, Lydon replied that the "reality was different to the perception".

He added: "Mr Jones was a very kind and generous man who gave money at different times to various councillors." Lydon also denied Dunlop's claims that he paid him a �2,000 bribe to sign the motion for this rezoning. But the Fianna F�il politician had to admit he had forgotten discussing the rezoning with the lobbyist when he was shown phone records.

Fianna F�il has, to date, neatly side-stepped Lydon's failure to fully cooperate with its own internal inquiry.

The party said it would "await the final determination of the tribunal before deciding on whether any further action needs to be taken". When it emerged that Lydon had not provided a full explanation, Trevor Sargent raised the matter in the D�il. (The Green leader was famously grabbed in a headlock by Lydon when he waved a cheque - which he had been sent by a builder - during a speech in the Dublin council chamber. ) Sargent asked Bertie Ahern: "Is there something wrong with the water in the Fianna F�il offices or is it a case, as many suspect, that FF is actually a haven for aspiring wideboys?"

It is unlikely an answer was provided in Government Buildings last week as Green Party representatives sat across the table from their Fianna F�il counterparts. But if there was any value placed on integrity in Irish politics, someone would ask why Don Lydon is being allowed to seek another term as a Fianna F�il senator.

The PDs have done an excellent job over the last few weeks in pushing the view that the task of reforming the health service would be significantly set back if Mary Harney is not back in government as health minister. Good as Harney's colleagues think she is, it is only a year since respondents in a Red C opinion poll gave the PD politician a massive thumbs-down. Some 77% said they were not confident that Harney had made a difference to reducing the number of people sleeping on trolleys in A&E. Some 64% said they were not confident that Harney had made a difference to the cutting of waiting lists for surgery. The health job may have gained a notorious reputation, but there is a host of able politicans who could take on the challenge. And with a seat at the cabinet table on offer, news of a vacancy would create a mile-long queue of Fianna F�il TDs outside Bertie Ahern's office.

After much pleading, many thanks from Bertie and Cyprian? and co AHERN'S St Luke's operation was in postelection celebratory mode last week, sending a thank you to the voters of Dublin Central.

The constituency-wide letter was signed by Ahern and Cyprian Brady just like the pre-polling day shafting letter that asked voters to give a third-preference vote to their running mate, Mary Fitzpatrick.

In a sign of d�tente, however, the dynamic duo's latest missive also contained a thank you on behalf of Fitzpatrick, although it's not clear if Ahern asked her approval for this one either.