Dail sketch/ Michael O'Regan: One would not need to be a computer expert or a highly-paid consultant to take the pulse of the Government and discover its political health is poor.
Yesterday, the temperature remained high as Mary Harney took the Order of Business. However she hardly anticipated a negative prognosis from her own ranks.
Only one member of the House got a clean bill of political health. Leas-Cheann Comhairle Séamus Pattison, Labour TD for Carlow-Kilkenny, was congratulated by all sides on completing 44 years as a member of the House.
"We do not see that very often these days," remarked Fine Gael's Enda Kenny.
Yet despite the flattery from all sides, Mr Pattison, standing in for Ceann Comhairle Dr Rory O'Hanlon, was not prepared to bend Order of Business rules.
He reminded Mr Kenny that questions could only be asked on promised legislation, and told Labour colleague Michael D Higgins that the transfer of ministerial questions had nothing to do with him.
Mr Kenny referred to the wastage of public money: PPARs costing €150 million, electronic voting costing €60 million, the e-lab project costing €35 million; a total of almost €250 million.
He asked Ms Harney if Minister for Communications Noel Dempsey had been speaking for the Government when he said the amount of money spent on PPARs was relatively very small.
Mr Dempsey said: "It is 1 per cent. To what legislation does the 1 per cent relate?" he snapped.
Mr Kenny said it was legislation governing the competence of the Government.
Fine Gael's Padraig McCormack suggested the Government should have a look at the voting machines and see if they were rusty. Independent Tony Gregory was later told in a written reply that the system had cost €51 million, while the annual storage was costing €695,000.
An angry Mr Higgins demanded that Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern answer the question he had tabled to him.
However Mr Ahern insisted that he had been advised it should be transferred to Minister for Justice Michael McDowell.
By now, an impassive Ms Harney sat next to Mr Ahern, Mr Dempsey and Minister for Tourism John O'Donoghue, giggling like schoolboys who were reprimanded but felt that they were not really culpable. Or was it just nervous laughter? Meanwhile, the Fianna Fáil backbenchers looked glum.
However the smiles faded as former PD minister of state for foreign affairs Liz O'Donnell rose from the Government benches to support Mr Higgins.
"Deputies on this House have an equal interest in holding the executive to account," said an unsmiling Ms O'Donnell.
"It is our function, and I support the points that have been made by Deputy Higgins."
Labour's Ruairí Quinn suggested that Mr Ahern might answer the question at Question Time later in the day "in a system of shared democracry".
Mr Ahern's negative response appeared to annoy Ms O'Donnell as much as the Opposition.
As the Government takes a political health check this weekend, it must watch its back as well as front.