The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has moved to silence dissenting TDs within the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party by endorsing the adoption of a code of conduct to enforce discipline on the Government backbenches.
The move was seen as a direct reaction to criticism of the Government by the Kilkenny back-bencher, Mr John McGuinness, and the initiative was immediately dismissed by a number of TDs.
They said any attempt to silence disquiet within the party would be impossible to enforce.
Although the move was welcomed at yesterday's parliamentary party meeting, a number of TDs said it showed the Government feared further expressions of dissatisfaction from its own backbenches.
The Cork TD, Mr Batt O'Keeffe, said last night: "I will have to see what protocols are being suggested. I feel that there's so many rules and regulations governing the behaviour of deputies and senators that the last thing we need now is for us to be ring-fenced."
Because Cabinet members will also be bound by the voluntary code, certain TDs said the system would be used to silence open disagreement between Ministers.
Such differences have emerged between the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, and the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, over funding for the health sector.
The move came only a week after the chairman of the parliamentary party, Mr Seamus Kirk, responded to Mr McGuinness's criticisms by stating that Fianna Fáil had no "command structure" forbidding such statements. Mr McGuinness could not be contacted last night.
Mr Kirk proposed the plan yesterday after expressing dissatisfaction to the weekly parliamentary party meeting that a number of TDs had broken ranks.
While critics of the development said that there were already sanctions for misconduct in the party's separate ethics policy, Mr Kirk told journalists that the ethics policy was designed to deal with "extreme cases".
He said: "I think it's important that we get unity and cohesion. I think that's important. We need discipline as well."
Mr Kirk added: "Some members have said they are concerned about the sense of ill-discipline which would a negative affect on the party ... The objective is to dissuade people from engaging in extreme criticism that might have a demoralising affect on the party."
TDs have complained about Government policies in recent months.
In addition to the claim by Mr McGuinness that the Progressive Democrats had a disproportionate influence on the Government, there have been complaints about the provision of air services to the US military and about the abolition of the dual mandate.
The proposed ban on smoking in pubs and restaurants has also drawn criticism, as did the Government's management of spending cutbacks, which it described as "adjustments".
Several TDs believed the initiative had come from Mr Ahern. But Mr Kirk said he had proposed the plan and said he had received support for it from the Taoiseach.
