Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has rejected suggestions that the controversy about the leadership of the Progressive Democrats had distracted him from his ministerial duties.
He also made a personal plea to PD politicians to keep private any further details of the party's internal affairs, in an apparent move to prevent any further embarrassing revelations emerg- ing about the dispute between himself and Tánaiste Mary Harney.
Both he and Ms Harney yesterday refused to be drawn on further revelations in this newspaper that a letter from the party's trustees had referred to their relationship as "dysfunctional".
The letter was read out at last Tuesday's parliamentary party meeting, which resolved the dispute between the two Ministers.
The meeting, which unanimously supported Ms Harney's decision to lead the party into the next general election, followed a week of bitter internal dispute, centred around Mr McDowell's claim that Ms Harney had said she would step down as leader before the general election.
Ms Harney told journalists last night there was "no internal party squabbling" now. The matter had been "closed" at the party meeting last Tuesday, she said.
Earlier, Mr McDowell also refused to comment on the weekend revelations. "I will say nothing on or off the public record, by briefing, by spinning, by whatever method.
"There is no difference between us full stop," he said of his relationship with Ms Harney.
Mr McDowell also played down remarks by Minister for Communications Noel Dempsey, who said the reported dispute could distract the PD Ministers from Government business.
Mr Dempsey said on TV3 on Sunday: "Well, I don't think it would be allowed to destabilise, but it certainly has the effect of distracting from the business of government when you're involved in anything directly like that . . . "
Mr McDowell said yesterday: "I don't believe that Noel Dempsey was in any way criticising me. I think he was saying the top priority was in serving the people."
Mr McDowell stressed again that he and Ms Harney were "absolutely united and committed to delivering on our ministerial obligations and our party obligations.
"Both of us are completely united in where we are going, personally, where our party is going and above all where we are going in Government. There is no division. There is no tension. There is no agenda between us except to do our jobs and to serve the people."
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern played down suggestions that the dispute could cause problems for the Government. "I doubt that it will," he said on RTÉ's Morning Ireland. "We are all adults, political adults. We'll be meeting on Tuesday [ today] and I don't see any difficulty in that respect. There'll always be tensions in parties. I don't see it any differently in the PDs. They're professionals, they'll put aside any differences and they'll work for the benefit of the people as we will."
Minister of State with responsibility for Children Brian Lenihan, who works closely with both PD Ministers, said he had been "very surprised" to read of the internal PD difficulties.
"Outwardly to their colleagues Tánaiste Harney and Minister McDowell appear to have very cordial relations so the stream of revelations this week was a surprise," he said. "But they have made it clear, and the chairman of their party made it clear yesterday evening, that's put behind them now and they're going to work together in Government and that's welcome."