Fine Gael has pulled back from nearly all Oireachtas co-operation arrangements with the Government, following its refusal to grant Fine Gael a greater share of Oireachtas committee chairmanships.
The Government is ready to offer Fine Gael just two chairs out of the 20 to be appointed in coming weeks - although Fine Gael now has 20 more Dáil deputies and the number of committees is to be increased by four.
Fine Gael, which had two Oireachtas chairs in the last Dáil, is insisting the posts, which are each worth more than €20,000, should be shared proportionally among the Government parties, and Fine Gael and Labour.
In retaliation, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is no longer to get a Dáil pair from Fine Gael - which means that one Fine Gael TD also does not vote - when he is away from the Dáil, unless he is on Government business.
"Book launches don't count. And the National Ploughing Championship doesn't count," said a Fine Gael spokesman, who made clear the party's anger with the offer made by the Government.
Relations between Fine Gael and, in particular, Fianna Fáil have become difficult over recent months, with the main Opposition party believing it is being treated with disrespect.
Mr Ahern's decision to approach directly Labour TD Brendan Howlin with an offer to become Leas Cheann Comhairle, rather than speak to the main Opposition leaders, still irks.
"We will not co-operate with the formation of the committees until we get an agreement," he said, although Mr Ahern will be paired for official duties, such as his recent Paris meeting with French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
During a meeting on Tuesday with Government Chief Whip Tom Kitt and a senior adviser to Mr Ahern, Gerry Hickey, Fine Gael said it should get five chairs, while Labour should have two.
In a subsequent letter, Fine Gael assistant whip Dan Neville said the Government's offer of two chairs was "totally unacceptable", rejecting Mr Kitt's arguments that committees processing legislation had to be chaired by a Government deputy.
There is "no evidence" to support the Government's contention that a select committee handling the committee, or later stages of legislation would "delay" the processing of legislation, he said.
Later, the Taoiseach intimated to the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party that some concessions would have to be made to Fine Gael; but they would not get all their demands.
However, Mr Ahern will have some difficulties with his own TDs if he makes any significant gesture to the Opposition: "Why are we giving these fellows anything," one Minister told a Fianna Fáil TD.
Fine Gael asked Mr Kitt before the summer recess for early planning on the shape of the committee system in the new Dáil, and for early appointments to be made to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission.
Currently, the commission's only members are Ceann Comhairle John O'Donoghue; the Cathaoirleach of the Seanad, Sen Pat Moylan; the Clerk of the Dáil, Kieran Coughlan, and a temporary member, Fianna Fáil's Seán Ardagh TD.
Fine Gael is ready to accept the Government's plan to create two new joint Oireachtas committees, covering children's issues and the Constitution; but not plans for a third to oversee the implementation of the Belfast Agreement. The latter is regarded with suspicion by Fine Gael, as it believes Mr Ahern intends to use it to concede ground to Sinn Féin, which has long argued that Northern politicians should have the right to address the Dáil.
In the face of opposition from Fine Gael during the last Dáil, Mr Ahern proposed setting up a Dáil committee that would sit in the Dáil chamber, but this was also rejected by Fine Gael.
Fine Gael argues that a joint Dáil/Assembly committee should be set up to carry out the work, as was envisaged under the terms of the Belfast Agreement.
