Labour is set to do a U-turn on its deal with the Government which leaves the Taoiseach free from taking the Order of Business in the Dáil on Thursdays.
Fine Gael is to move a motion in Private Member's Time next week calling on Mr Ahern to attend the House on each sitting day. It will receive the backing of all Opposition parties and deputies, including Labour.
Currently, Mr Ahern attends the Dáil for the Order of Business and questions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The Fine Gael motion was drafted before the summer, with differing views within the parliamentary party on whether it should be formally moved. Some deputies felt the party should not embarrass Labour, while others believed it was time Fine Gael took a firm stand on the issue.
A Labour spokesman said yesterday: "While we would have preferred the motion as part of an overall package of Dáil reform, we will support it."
Given its in-built majority, the Government will defeat the motion, which will be debated over three hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, it will highlight the fact that all previous taoisigh took the Order of Business on all sitting days unless absent on official business. The Government has argued that the Taoiseach spends more time in the House than his predecessors and his European counterparts.
The deal that the Taoiseach could be absent from the Order of Business on Thursdays was struck between Fianna Fáil and Labour in 2003, shortly before Mr Pat Rabbitte replaced Mr Ruairí Quinn as leader.
It was agreed in return for the reinstatement of Labour as a party taking precedence over the technical group under Dáil procedures.
The technical group is made up of Sinn Féin, the Green Party and a number of Independents.
The Order of Business on Thursdays is now usually taken by the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, or the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith.
