Dáil questions: The Government's refusal to give more time for Mr Ahern to face questioning this week about payments received in 1993 and 1994 is unacceptable, Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny has said.
So far the Government insists that Mr Ahern will deliver a five-minute statement, followed by statements from Mr Kenny, Labour's Pat Rabbitte, the Greens' Trevor Sargent, Sinn Féin's Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin and the Socialist Party's Joe Higgins.
This, under the Dáil's order of business pushed through by the Government on Thursday, would be followed by the usual 21-minute Leaders' Questions involving Mr Kenny, Mr Rabbitte and Mr Higgins.
However, the Government may have to reopen the issue because the five minutes allocated to Mr Ahern for his statement may no longer suit his own purposes if he is going to fully brief the Dáil on the payments controversy.
Government chief whip Tom Kitt, who is to discuss the issue today with officials, could propose tomorrow that the Dáil's standing orders be suspended to allow for more time. However, a reopening of the issue also poses difficulties since the Opposition will once more press for open-ended questioning of Mr Ahern on the payments.
Still unhappy with the current arrangements, Mr Kenny said all of the Dáil's political parties should be "given an opportunity to ask the questions which matter most to them".
"Last week both Fianna Fáil and the PDs voted down efforts by the Opposition to get time to ask critical questions about payments made to the Taoiseach. They denied the Dáil an opportunity to achieve accountability."
He said Progressive Democrat TDs should also have the opportunity to ask questions of Mr Ahern so that the accountability they have said is necessary "can be seen to be delivered in full and in public and not in secret deals".
