The long march by the hapless backbenchers to the destination of the vacant junior ministry goes on and on.
Another weekend of waiting looms, as Bertie Ahern still considers who should replace Ivor Callely, not to mention the rumoured change of portfolios among the junior ranks.
Yesterday, some of the backbenchers dutifully attended to show some moral support for Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey, who stood in for Tánaiste Mary Harney and Minister for Finance Brian Cowen on the order of business.
Any hope of plain sailing for the Minister disappeared as the Opposition scented blood on the controversial Sea Fisheries and Marine Jurisdiction Bill, which contains a range of penalties for illegal fishing. It falls within the remit of Mr Dempsey's department.
Sinn Féin's Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin welcomed Mr Dempsey to the order of business "hot seat" and urged him to withdraw the Bill in its entirety, given that it was causing great consternation.
Labour's Tommy Broughan had other political fish to fry.
He said Mr Dempsey should take direct responsibility for the Bill, given that the Department's occupier of the "half-car", Minister of State Pat The Cope Gallagher, had apparently disappeared. Rumour has it that Mr Gallagher, who represents the fishing stronghold of Donegal South West, will be given a welcome transfer of portfolio as part of a shake-up to accompany the appointment of Mr Callely's replacement.
Mr Dempsey said it was a bit rich to be criticising him for not tackling the "organised criminality" going on in the sea fishing industries when Opposition TDs had consistently, over the past four or five months, tried to thwart the introduction of legislation to deal with it.
Unimpressed, Fine Gael's John Perry suggested that Mr Dempsey talk to those Government backbenchers who shared the Opposition's view. He, too, wanted to know where Mr Gallagher was, adding that he had been delegated responsibility for the Marine.
Mr Broughan took up the theme again. "Will the Minister confirm whether he has a Minister of State at his department? This House passed a resolution to appoint a Minister of State with responsibility for the Marine," he declared.
Mr Gallagher surfaced later when he took the Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) Bill, prompting a query from Labour's Róisín Shortall on why he was dealing with legislation which was within the remit of the Department of Transport, still awaiting Mr Callely's replacement.
Mr Gallagher said it would not be unusual for him to take a Bill when the Minister for Transport was unavailable.
Fine Gael's Olivia Mitchell noted that Mr Callely, still in office at the time, had taken the Bill when it was moved in the Seanad. Ms Shortall wondered if this was an indication that Mr Gallagher would be moved from Marine to a safer political shore in Transport.
"I would not presume anything," replied Mr Gallagher. The backbenchers are not presuming anything either, as rumour feeds on rumour.