The Minister for Communications, Mr Dermot Ahern, has said his implicit attack on the Progressive Democrats at the weekend was not aimed at the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, but at the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell.
Mr Ahern says his comments were aimed at the Minister of Justice
Speaking in Dundalk on Saturday, Mr Ahern condemned any dependence on "unbridled market forces" in the formation of economic and social policy.
Today, however, Mr Ahern said his comments were aimed purely at comments made by Mr McDowell.
He said there was disquiet among Fianna Fáil backbenchers at some of the comments made by Mr McDowell before the election referring to inequality.
The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, was subjected to a barrage of criticism last month after he suggested in an interview that inequality was an "incentive" in the Irish economy.
Speaking to reporters in Dublin this morning, Mr Ahern said: "I think it is important again to emphasise that he made reference over the last number of weeks to inequality in Irish society. I patently disagree with that and so do a lot of people in Fianna Fáil.
"We are good friends but we have differences of emphasis. They represent a different strata in Irish society and so do we and that has to be acknowledged".
The Cabinet met this morning in the wake of a warning by the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, that Fianna Fáil should not take its junior Government colleagues for granted.
Yesterday Ms Harney said: "It requires two people to want that to be possible and certainly there will be not question of people seeking to scapegoat the Progressive Democrats in this Government".
The Cabinet was expected to receive a request from Mr McDowell, to authorise the appointment of more judges.
According to a report in this morning's Irish Times, the Minister is responding to the recommendations in the latest report from the courts' Committee on Court Practice and Procedure. The committee, chaired by Ms Justice Denham, will publish its report later today.
Also likely to have been on the Cabinet agenda is the break-up of Aer Rinata. The State Airport Bill 2004 splitting the airports authority into three organistions around Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports will be published today.
A 10-year business plan seeking more than 280 redundancies at Shannon Airport is also due to be published this week.