DAIL SKETCH/Michael O'Regan: Nobody was complaining on the Opposition benches. Mr Ahern's absence was justified on this occasion. Normal hostilities will resume when he returns to the House.
Anyway, there is the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, who claims to be the most available of Ministers.
This emerged when Mr Dan Boyle, of the Green Party, suggested that representations made to the Minister in the latter stages of the Finance Bill should be made public. Mr McCreevy had no difficulty with that. "I want to make it clear that anybody at any stage, either through their public representative or to me directly, either inside or outside the House, is free to make representations to me at any particular time."
He had received some ideas in "the most unusual places", and had incorporated them into legislation.
"I want to make it clear that as long as I am Minister for Finance people are free to make representations to me in whatever way they think fit, either by telephoning me, meeting me at football matches, race meetings or pitch-and-toss banks."
At Leaders' Questions, the Opposition pitched some issues in the direction of the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, standing in for Mr Ahern, and she tossed them back.
Matters got livelier later when the alternative government - Fine Gael, Labour and the Green Party - joined forces for the third time for Private Member's business. The issue was the restoration of social welfare benefits to widows and widowers.
Earlier, Labour's finance spokeswoman, Ms Joan Burton, lobbied the Minister on behalf of the same widows and widowers.
"The Minister obviously had a good week in Cheltenham," she remarked. "Will he rethink the measure regarding widows?"
With capital spending on infrastructure significantly below the projected figures, Ms Burton suggested there might be some money available "to show mercy to the widows of Ireland".
Mr McCreevy replied that it would not be a prudent Minister who would base his spending on the figures for six to eight weeks into the financial year.
Those gathering at the Kildare pitch-and-toss bank this evening may have another view to offer the Minister.