The former Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, will support the Government's proposed abortion referendum despite the plans of his successor, Mr Michael Noonan, to ask the party next week to oppose it.
With Fine Gael's parliamentary party to attempt to agree an approach on the issue next Wednesday, Mr Bruton yesterday confirmed his support for the Government's plan to roll back the X case decision which allowed abortion where suicide was threatened by the mother.
However he declined through a spokesman to elaborate on his views, reported in yesterday's Irish Independent, or to say if he would campaign on the issue.
His statement puts him in conflict with the position adopted by Mr Noonan, who said last month that if the referendum went ahead, he would ask the party to oppose it because it was "far too big a risk to be putting into the Constitution without knowing, with any degree of certainty, what a future Supreme Court may decide".
Mr Bruton is widely recognised within Fine Gael as one of those with strong personal views on abortion and his stance is therefore not seen as any challenge to Mr Noonan's authority. However it underlines the fact that Fine Gael will be unable to adopt a united, coherent position on the issue.