Seán Haughey was being widely tipped in Fianna Fáil last night to succeed Síle de Valera as a junior minister when she steps down from her post as Minister of State for Education in December.
Ms de Valera announced yesterday that she had written to the Taoiseach advising him that she would be resigning from her post as Minister on December 8th.
Mr Haughey, who has been a TD for Dublin North Central since 1992, publicly expressed his frustration when he was passed over for promotion last spring.
At that stage he said he was considering his future in politics, but since then he has made it clear that he intends to run again at the next election. The son of the former taoiseach is highly regarded across the party spectrum in Leinster House and it will be a major shock if the Taoiseach passes him over once again.
Ms de Valera said last night that her decision to step down "follows on from my suggestion to the Taoiseach in November 2005 that I should resign as Minister of State in December 2006 as I would not be running for re-election in 2007", she said in a statement.
Ms de Valera added that in her letter to the Taoiseach she had thanked him for giving her the honour of serving as minister and minister of state over the last nine years.
"I also assured him of my continuing support in the run-up to and during the forthcoming election and said that I looked forward to celebrating his return to government for a third consecutive term in office, in June."
Ms de Valera announced in 2005 that she would not be contesting the next election in Clare, which she has represented in the Dáil since 1987.
There was a political controversy last spring when the Taoiseach appeared to indicate his desire that Ms de Valera should resign her ministerial post at that stage in the light of the fact that she would not be contesting the next election.
However, it subsequently emerged that Mr Ahern and his Minister had discussed the issue in November 2005 and that in the course of that discussion Ms de Valera had told him she would not be stepping down until December of this year.
