The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern has defended Government Ministers against the call by a backbench TD for a major Cabinet reshuffle. Mr Ahern said he did not accept that the Cork TD, Mr Ned O'Keeffe, was criticising his stewardship of the Government.
His defence of the Government came two days ahead of a Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting in Sligo at which he is expected to address backbench criticism of the Government.
Mr O'Keeffe had said in interviews with the Irish Examiner and RTÉ that Mr Ahern should sack four Ministers and up to half of his Ministers of State. He did not return calls from The Irish Times last evening.
With Mr O'Keeffe's remarks following renewed criticism of the Government last week by the Kilkenny TD, Mr John McGuinness, the Taoiseach said: "I think the Cabinet work extremely hard." Stating that his discussions with Cabinet members were conducted in private, Mr Ahern would not be drawn on whether he would be telling Ministers to improve their performance.
"I talk to my Cabinet members every day and most of my Ministers of State every week and I say what I say to them. But I don't say it in public and I'm not going to."
Mr Ahern said he had spoken to Mr O'Keeffe in Co Cork on Sunday "and he looked very well".
In an apparent reference to Mr McGuinness, the Taoiseach added: "I do understand that it is sometimes easy for people, who have had five or six weeks of holidays, who are backbenchers, to be able to come back from their holidays in deepest south of France and give their views. I think that's a very interesting thing to do."
Mr McGuinness said he had been on a two-week holiday in the south of France. "If it was me he was talking about, and I don't know that, my remarks were about the economy and I made no comment about the Taoiseach."
