The Government resumes full-time business next Wednesday when the Cabinet conducts its first meeting of the autumn.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, return to work next Monday in advance of the Cabinet meeting at Emo, Co Laois.
While the agenda for the meeting is not yet finalised, Ministers are expected to discuss the tightening in the public finances and plans for an intergovernmental conference to agree a new EU treaty.
But while the Cabinet will meet weekly throughout September, the Government will not face Opposition scrutiny in the Dáil until the new session starts at the end of the month.
TDs and Senators from Government and Opposition parties will hold special meetings in the middle of next month to prepare for the new parliamentary session, which begins on September 30th. Fine Gael confirmed yesterday that its parliamentary party would conduct a special strategy meeting in Killarney, Co Kerry, on September 16th and 17th.
The party also plans a series of three regional meetings in October and November.
At these meetings the party's leader, Mr Enda Kenny, will lay the groundwork for the party's local and European elections next June.
Fine Gael has decided not to conduct an ardfheis this year. Its next ardfheis will take place next April.
This will be seen as a clear attempt to boost the party's profile ahead of the local and EU elections, where it hopes to recover ground lost in the general election last year.
Labour's parliamentary party also meets on September 16th and 17th, at Ferrycarraig in Co Wexford.
While the party is expected to focus on the coming Dáil session at the meeting, it too will be looking ahead to the elections next year.
The Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meets in Sligo on September 11th and 12th.
The meeting takes place a month before the party's ardfheis in Killarney on October 11th.
TDs and Senators are expected to hear presentations from outside contributors at the September meeting, but the focus of the meeting will be on Government policy.
With a string of cutbacks and a tighter fiscal situation damaging the Government, the meeting will be seen as an attempt to rally TDs and Senators ahead of the session.
As plans to ban smoking in pubs by the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, are dividing TDs and some Ministers, the issue is also expected to be addressed at the meeting.
In addition, with the Hanly report on medical manpower to call for the downgrading of some hospitals, TDs will be briefed on the implications of such plans.
