The chairman of the Fianna Fail Parliamentary Party is expected to meet Mr John Ellis TD next week to discuss his continued chairmanship of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture.
Dr Rory O'Hanlon TD intends to talk to Mr Ellis about recent controversies in which he has become embroiled as Fine Gael renews pressure on him to resign as chairman of the committee.
There is speculation in political circles that the Fianna Fail leadership will privately urge Mr Ellis to resign this week to avoid further embarrassment to the party.
However, party sources say Dr O'Hanlon has not been given any instructions to "push" Mr Ellis to resign, but will ask him to outline how he sees the present controversy ending without further damage to Fianna Fail.
Government sources were yesterday sticking to the line that the issue is for the committee itself rather than for the Taoiseach or the Government. However, while the committees elect their own chairmen, all such positions except the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee are allocated to Government deputies with the approval of the Government party leaders.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael says its agriculture spokesman, Mr Paul Connaughton, will seek to have the Agriculture Committee meet next week to discuss Mr Ellis's continued chairmanship unless Mr Ellis resigns first. The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, has put down a Dail question asking the Taoiseach about his recent correspondence with farmers who wrote to him about debts owed to them by Mr Ellis.
Controversy over Mr Ellis's position arose earlier this month when it emerged at the Moriarty tribunal that a debt of £243,500 that Mr Ellis owed to National Irish Bank was written off in 1989. Mr Ellis said he believed the write-off followed political representations to the bank on his behalf, but no firm evidence of this has emerged. It also emerged that Mr Charles Haughey had given Mr Ellis almost £25,000 from the Fianna Fail party leader's allowance to defray his debts.
Farmers who were owed money when Mr Ellis's abattoir business, Stanlow Trading, collapsed were not paid. It is the non-payment of debts to farmers that has prompted Fine Gael to say it is inappropriate for Mr Ellis to continue chairing the Agriculture Committee.
Mr Ellis is also involved in the controversy over the appointment of Ireland's new honorary consul to Pakistan. Mr Ellis made representations on behalf of Mr Haseeb Ahsan, who was nominated by the Government and whose nomination is being considered by the Pakistani government.
Mr Connaughton and his party colleague Mr Michael Finucane TD met Mr Ellis 10 days ago and asked him to resign. According to Mr Connaughton, Mr Ellis said he would "reflect" on the request.