The Government will reaffirm its confidence in the Mahon tribunal in an amendment to a Fine Gael motion due to be debates in the Dáil today and the indications are that it will avoid reprimanding the tribunal as advocated by some Fianna Fáil figures at the weekend.
The secretary general of the Department of the Environment, Geraldine Tallon, and the secretary general of the Taoiseach's Department, Dermot McCarthy, became involved in discussions last night on the wording of the amendment. Earlier talks on the issue had taken place between the programme managers of Fianna Fáil, the Green Party and the Progressive Democrats.
The final wording will go for approval to the leaders of the three Coalition parties this morning and will be put to a Cabinet meeting later.
Government sources insisted last night that the Coalition parties were not having difficulty in agreeing the wording and that the discussions on the amendment were routine.
However, there has been a different emphasis by the parties in recent days, with the two smaller coalition parties stressing their confidence in the tribunal, in contrast to the negative views expressed by Fianna Fáil sources at the weekend about the way tribunal has dealt with the Taoiseach.
A Green Party spokesman said that, as always, the party would express confidence in the Mahon tribunal. The PDs have also insisted that the Government amendment should express confidence in the tribunal.
The Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny claimed yesterday that the Government may be having internal difficulties agreeing a united response to his party's motion of confidence in the tribunal.
"I understand from comments that I have heard from at least two of the parties in Government that they would be very reluctant to have anything to do with wording that was in any way contrary to the remit that was given to the tribunal by the Oireachtas," said Mr Kenny.
He added that the Fine Gael motion actually resulted from attacks made on the tribunal by Ministers before Christmas.
"Everybody would like to see the tribunal wind up its affairs as efficiently and as effectively and as professionally as possible, but when you look at the history of this particular tribunal, there were instances clearly where people did not co-operate with it, where people took court cases against the tribunal which delayed it and all of that."
Asked to comment on the accusation of "treason" made against him by Fianna Fáil figures for attacking the Taoiseach shortly before his recent African visit, Mr Kenny said: "Long ago they used to hang, draw and quarter people for armed insurgency against the State and for treasonous acts. If you don't speak out, then you condone things."
When questioned about how his party would react if a Fine Gael TD or Senator was unable to produce a tax-clearance certificate and whether they would lose the party whip as a result, Mr Kenny said:
"We have written to every member of our Oireachtas party, reminding them of their responsibilities and their requirements."
The Sinn Féin Dáil leader, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, said yesterday that Sinn Féin would support the Fine Gael motion, saying his party would be happy to affirm the tribunal's work.
But he reiterated Sinn Féin's call for Mr Ahern to resign not over his Mahon tribunal evidence but over his handling of the health services, a stance that has isolated it from the other Opposition parties.
"Nobody has lost their lives as a result of the Taoiseach's mutterings and ditherings in relation to his financial affairs. Many people have lost their lives because of his stewardship of the health- services," he claimed.