Harney reaction: Minister for Health Mary Harney yesterday said she believed the "overwhelming wish" of the Progressive Democrats membership, and party leader Tánaiste Michael McDowell, would be to continue in Government.
At the opening at Croke Park yesterday morning of an All-Ireland conference on breastfeeding, Ms Harney acknowledged that Mr McDowell had found himself in a "very difficult" position in the past number of weeks and that "serious issues" existed. She declined to speculate as to what needed to happen for these issues to be resolved.
"He's just three weeks into his new job and there are issues here, there are serious issues here. And for a small party in government it is always very difficult when issues of this kind arise," she said.
"I think the members of the party would like to see us continue in Government and to provide successful and stable government for the country. I think that would be the overwhelming wish of everybody in the party, including the Tánaiste and the parliamentary party, and our supporters and I hope that that can be the situation. "We have provided nine years of very stable and successful government between Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats and certainly we want to continue in my view to provide stable and good government, that's what the country wants.
"I hope that we can use the good relationships we have, Michael McDowell and I have very good relationships with our colleagues in Government, to bring a resolution to the difficulties that have arisen."
Asked if she had advised Mr McDowell, she said this would not be appropriate. She added: "It's never helpful to do too much talking in public at a time like this. My own view would be that everybody around the Cabinet table would want to see a successful outcome to the current difficulties that have arisen."
Ms Harney said she had a "good relationship" with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. "We have had difficulties in the past and we've been able to find a way to resolve those difficulties building on the good relationship and I think that's what's important here."
The conference, which marked the end of national breastfeeding week, heard how cultural norms and attitudes presented a challenge to attempts to increase breastfeeding rates here.