Further talks will be held today between the Government Coalition parties in an effort to agree a wording on a Dáil motion expressing confidence in the Mahon tribunal.
The Government's counter-motion will be put down tomorrow evening in response to Fine Gael's private member's motion - the first to be heard in the new Dáil term beginning tomorrow afternoon.
Despite Fianna Fáil's and the Greens' insistence that the issue is not causing friction, it is clear that agreement on the wording is a significant way off.
The Cabinet must agree at its meeting tomorrow a counter to a Fine Gael motion that affirms the Dáil's confidence in the tribunal and acknowledges that the tribunal is acting independently, without bias and within its terms of reference.
Last night, there were signals that the Greens and the Progressive Democrats could accept Fianna Fáil's desire to note the cost of the tribunal, its duration and the lack of secrecy surrounding some documentation given to it.
However, the language used on these points will be devoid of criticism of the Mahon tribunal's work, and will be preceded by a strong endorsement of its activities up to now, sources indicated last night.
Possible draft texts are still circulating between the Taoiseach's programme manager, Gerry Hickey and his Green Party and Progressive Democrats counterparts, Donall Geoghegan and Oliver O'Connor.
Questioned yesterday, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, during an official engagement in Dublin, said: "It's a question for the Government to decide. We know they are costing a lot of money," he said.
The motion is also likely to refer the tribunal to be mindful of a succession of Supreme Court judgments over the years, though it is unlikely to refer directly to last year's ruling that barred the tribunal from investigating payments made by a Dublin signage company to former minister Ray Burke.
The Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, insisted that the counter-motion would express full confidence in the tribunal's work.
"I have said that I have always had confidence in the tribunal. The Green Party has confidence in the tribunal and will continue to have confidence in the tribunal and it is a question now of coming up with a suitable wording," he said, after a meeting of the Green parliamentary party in Dún Laoghaire.
Meanwhile, Government Chief Whip Tom Kitt yesterday described as "misguided" opposition claims that there has been a dearth of legislation since the new Government was formed last summer.
Mr Kitt accepted that fewer Bills than expected have been published in the 30th Dáil - some 17 Bills on the priority list have not been published as promised before the return of the Dáil tomorrow.
He said the reasons for this were twofold: "It was a new Government with a new programme for government. Ministers are entitled to some time to prepare legislation.
"Secondly, the legislative slate was cleared at the end of the 29th Dáil so there were no outstanding Bills to be published," he said.
The legislative programme for the new session of the Dáil will be published today - it is expected to contain some 20 Bills including some carryovers such as the Dublin Transportation Bill and the Student Support Bill.
The Bill that will give the go-ahead for the Lisbon Treaty referendum - the 28th Amendment to the Constitution Bill - will also be published.