Fianna Fáil TDs were stunned and bewildered yesterday at the decision of the Taoiseach to reinstate Meath TD Mary Wallace as a Junior Minister, almost four years after he dropped her. Stephen Collins and Mark Hennessy report.
There was also continuing dissent in the party ranks over the Sea Fisheries Bill and Mr Ahern had to meet a number of backbenchers to deal with their concerns.
Ms Wallace was dropped in 2002 after five years as a minister with responsibility for disabilities.
Last night the Taoiseach defended his decision, with a spokeswoman saying the appointment had been made because Mr Ahern felt "she is very competent, she is very capable, she is a very hard worker".
Northside Dublin TDs SeáHaughey and Jim Glennon were the favourites to win promotion to the vacancy created by the resignation of Ivor Callely in December.
Fianna Fáil TDs and Government advisers reacted with shock when they heard of the Taoiseach's decision. Even some Ministers are said to have been taken aback when Mr Ahern formally sought their approval of the decision at yesterday's Cabinet meeting.
So confident were some supporters of Mr Haughey that they had planned a function to celebrate his promotion and were even reported to have booked a venue.
Mr Glennon took the unusual step of issuing a statement expressing his disappointment. "I had hoped that I would be selected to serve in Government as this is the ambition of most parliamentarians," he said, while wishing Ms Wallace every success.
The Taoiseach let it be known last night that he felt Ms Wallace had been "unfairly criticised" for her handling of the Disability Bill, which had to be withdrawn when it was greeted with a storm of criticism after she introduced it in the Oireachtas in 2001.
The spokeswoman added that constituency considerations were also involved in the decision. If Ms Wallace had been appointed in 2002, the five-seat Meath constituency would have had two Ministers, but now that it had been divided into two three-seat constituencies there was a compelling case for her promotion.
The issue of gender balance in the ministerial ranks was also cited as a possible factor.
Many backbenchers, however, were not convinced by the arguments. It was pointed out that the case for promotion on the grounds of helping the party to win a seat in East Meath could be made in almost any of the 43 constituencies. There was widespread sympathy for Mr Haughey, in particular, among TDs.
On the issue of the Sea Fisheries and Marine Jurisdiction Bill, which is designed to end illegal fishing in Irish waters, one Fianna Fáil backbencher, Denis O'Donovan, yesterday expressed reservations about key provisions in the Bill.
The Taoiseach later met Mr O'Donovan and a group of TDs including Frank Fahey, Celia Keaveney and Michael Woods, as well as Senator Brendan Kenneally, and appears to have soothed their concerns about the legislation, which is being piloted through the Dáil by the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey.
The junior minister for the Marine, Pat "the Cope" Gallagher, who is believed to be unhappy about some aspects of the Bill, was moved from the department yesterday as part of a mini reshuffle of junior ministers. He took over the post vacated by Ivor Callely as Minister of State for Transport.
John Browne, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food, took over Mr Gallagher's post at the Department of the Marine.