The Government and Fianna Fail are sustaining high levels of public support and remain unaffected by Fine Gael's change of leadership, according to the latest Irish Times/MRBI opinion poll.
Mr Michael Noonan registered a satisfaction rating of 37 per cent, the same low figure achieved by Mr John Bruton in the last Irish Times/MRBI poll in January. However, his party's public support, at 24 per cent, has risen by four points since the poll that precipitated the move against Mr Bruton.
The poll brings bad news for Labour which, at 13 per cent, has dropped two percentage points for the second poll in succession.
Adding to Labour gloom, Sinn Fein has overtaken it in Dublin as the third-strongest party, registering 9 per cent core support compared with Lab our's 8 per cent.
The state of the parties is: Fianna Fail 42 per cent, up one percentage point since the last Irish Times/MRBI poll in January; Fine Gael 24 per cent, up four points; Labour 13 per cent, down two points; Sinn Fein 6 per cent, unchanged; Progressive Democrats 4 per cent, unchanged; Green Party 3 per cent, down two points; the Workers' Party 1 per cent, unchanged; and others 7 per cent, down one point.
These findings are based on a party weighting system devised to take account of lower voter turnout in recent elections.
The core support for the parties is: Fianna Fail 39 per cent, up one point; Fine Gael 18 per cent, up three points; Labour 9 per cent, down one point; Sinn Fein 5 per cent, unchanged; Progressive Democrats 4 per cent, up one; Green Party 3 per cent, down one; Workers' Party 1 per cent, unchanged; and others 5 per cent, down two. The level of undecideds has remained unchanged at 18 per cent.
The poll was conducted among a national quota sample of 1,000 electors at 100 sampling points throughout all constituencies last Monday and Tuesday. It is the first Irish Times/MRBI poll since the foot-and-mouth crisis, and was taken at the height of the controversy over the co-hosting by the Taoiseach's partner, Ms Celia Larkin, of a State reception honouring Cardinal Desmond Connell.
It was taken immediately after the revelation of tax evasion at Fine Gael headquarters.
Government satisfaction has risen by one point to 59 per cent, having risen 15 points in January. Dissatisfaction with the Government has fallen five points to 33 per cent.
Fianna Fail's support is the highest since January 2000. Mr Ahern's personal rating is down two points, to 64 per cent, but he remains the most popular party leader.
The Tanaiste, Ms Harney, is not far behind him with a satisfaction rating of 59 per cent, up five points since January. Support for the PDs, at 4 per cent, remains unchanged.
Fine Gael's hopes for a dramatic early reversal in fortune have been thwarted by the damaging revelations that have emerged in the three months of Mr Noonan's leadership about the party's past. However, there is some consolation for him in that, while his satisfaction rating is no higher than was Mr Bruton's, just 28 per cent say they are dissatisfied with his performance.
This compares favourably with the 43 per cent who said they were dissatisfied with Mr Bruton. With 35 per cent expressing no opinion, there is still scope for Mr Noonan to win wider public approval.
Labour's fall from 17 per cent last September to 15 per cent in January and 13 per cent this week is accompanied by a marginal drop in Mr Ruairi Quinn's satisfaction rating, down one point to 47 per cent.
However, it is the Dublin figures that will cause the party most concern. Its core vote, at 8 per cent, is down five points since January, while Sinn Fein's, at 9 per cent, is up five points.