Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today received the backing of his ministers as the focus on the controversy over payments he received during the 1990s was fixed on the terms for discussing the matter in the Dáil tomorrow.
There have been talks involving the party whips today as Opposition parties criticised the protocol and length of time given over to Mr Ahern's statement to the House on payments he received while minister for finance in 1993 and 1994.
Speaking in Belfast today, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said a "sense of proportion" was needed in relation to outcry over three amounts of money being inquired into by the Mahon tribunal.
"I am somebody who takes politics day by day but I have no doubt that the Government will continue.
"Are you going to turn around and throw away nearly 10 years of extremely good government on the basis of something that happened 13 years ago when it is quite clear that the guidelines in relation to this weren't as tight as perhaps they should have been?" Mr Ahern said.
The controversy arose ten days ago after Mahon tribunal documents leaked to The Irish Timesshowed the Taoiseach could be questioned over sums worth €50,000, €12,000 and €63,000. Mr Ahern has said the first of these came from friends, the second was from an engagement in Manchester in which he acted in a private capacity and the third amount was savings.
As the Opposition outcry over the terms for Mr Ahern's addressing of the issue before the Dáil continued, Tánaiste Michael McDowell said there was a need for sufficient time for the Taoiseach to provide more information.
Opposition parties are pushing for Mr Ahern to be subjected to a full question-and-answer session but currently it is proposed that he will only make two five-minute statements either side of five five-minute contributions from Opposition spokespeople.
Mr McDowell today rejected Fine Gael leader's Enda Kenny claim that he and the Taoiseach had made a secret deal to remain in power.
Mr Kenny said yesterday that Mr McDowell's Progressive Democrats had an "obsession with power" which had "overridden their sense of right and wrong".
"They denied the Dáil an opportunity to achieve accountability. I will not deny them a similar opportunity. I would like to see PD representatives asking the Taoiseach questions so that accountability can be seen to be delivered in full and in public and not in secret deals," Mr Kenny said.
Talks on the wording of Mr Ahern's address are understood to have taken place at the weekend and more are due again today. It is widely expected that under PD pressure, Mr Ahern will issue some form of apology over accepting the sums of €50,000 and €12,000.
Meanwhile, Mr Ahern has signed cheques for more than €90,000 to repay with interest the €50,000 he received from 12 friends, including the former managing director of National City Brokers stockbrokers, Pádraic O'Connor.