It's emerged that a junior minister WILL now support the government in a Dáil vote on water charges this week - after earlier saying he might support the opposition.
John Halligan had said he would probably support a cross-party motion signed by 39 TDs including members of four political parties, calling for the immediate abolition of domestic water charges.
The motion is set to go to a vote in the Dáil on Wednesday night - just seven days after Halligan was given a junior ministry at the Department of Jobs.
But after earlier saying he could support the vote - which could arguably have put his short-lived ministerial career in jeopardy - Halligan's office has now confirmed he will vote in favour of a Government counter-motion instead.
The senior minister with responsibility for water matters, Simon Coveney, earlier urged Halligan to wait and see his countermotion before deciding on his stance.
Coveney offered to meet with his ministerial colleague to discuss his reservations - hinting that the countermotion could be worded to reflect his concerns:
The government's counter-motion will first have to be agreed at tomorrow morning's Cabinet meeting, however.
In the meantime, Fianna Fail has published its own version - which essentially endorses the agreement it reached with Fine Gael in the run-up to government formation.
TD John Curran says his party will not support a "populist" move from the Right2Change TDs:
FF's ability to publish its own counter-motion first - and the prospect of the Government's counter-motion taking a similar format - now raises the prospect that the Fine Gael-Independent coalition will support Fianna Fáil when a vote is formally called on Wednesday night.
Our political correspondent Gavan Reilly earlier filed this report for Today FM's National Lunchtime News:
