Fianna Fail is spending far more than other parties in the Belfast Agreement and Amsterdam Treaty referendum campaigns.
The party has allocated £500,000 for the campaigns, compared to the next-highest spender, Fine Gael, whose budget amounts to £100,000. Labour will spend about £30,000, the Progressive Democrats about £20,000, and Democratic Left, £10,000.
The Green Party, which is vigorously opposing the Amsterdam Treaty, has decided to spend just over £8,800 on both campaigns.
Because of an assumption in political circles that both referendums will be comfortably carried on May 22nd, parties in Leinster House have so far run low-key campaigns.
A Fianna Fail spokesman said the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, would attend public meetings in Limerick today and at two venues yet to be confirmed next week.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, who has been conducting church-gate meetings in his constituency over the past two weekends, will attend a rally in Cork next Tuesday. According to Fine Gael's campaign director, Mr Gay Mitchell, the party will distribute 500,000 leaflets nationwide.
A Labour spokesman said the party had issued 250,000 leaflets in the two campaigns and the party leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, has addressed half-a-dozen meetings on the issues.
Following last year's general election, the Progressive Democrats are still in debt to the tune of over £200,000 and are striving to keep their referendum costs to a minimum. The party leader and Tanaiste, Ms Harney, will attend public meetings, including one at Sachs Hotel in Dublin next Wednesday.
Democratic Left's postering campaign will be confined to mainly urban areas. Its poster carries one message - vote Yes, in both instances.
The party has produced 250,000 four-page leaflets and intends to distribute these nationwide. It has organised meetings in Wexford, Cork and Dungarvan. The party leader, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, will visit Belfast at the weekend as part of the effort to secure a Yes vote in Northern Ireland.
A spokeswoman for the Greens said its total campaign funding was raised by the Irish Green Party and the European Green Party. Most of the budget has been dedicated to the defeat of the Amsterdam Treaty referendum.
"We fully support the Good Friday agreement but have devoted most of our efforts to campaigning for a No vote to the treaty on the basis that the Northern question will be carried. We are the main voice against Amsterdam in Dail Eireann," the spokeswoman added.
As part of its campaign, the party has produced a raft of policy documents, leaflets and an information book on the Amsterdam Treaty. It is also organising Green Party public information meetings at several venues.