A second Independent TD supporting the Government has expressed his unhappiness with the Budget despite the amendment announced by the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy.
The Donegal North East TD, Mr Harry Blaney, told The Irish Times last night that, regardless of the climbdown, the Budget was still "anti-family" and "pointed the finger in the wrong direction".
On Sunday the Donegal South West Independent TD, Mr Thomas Gildea, threatened not to vote for the Finance Act. He said he was very unhappy with aspects of the Budget and would be seeking a meeting with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern.
Mr Blaney said he was still "sore" over the Budget despite the £3,000 tax allowance for spouses in the home minding children, the aged or the handicapped, announced last week to balance Budget measures which favoured double-income families.
"The bottom line is there are still differentials. Differentials should not have been introduced in the first place. Despite the changes this is anti-family with anomalies for people at home. I am not happy," he added.
"This Budget is pointing the finger and is a sign of the way the Government is going. They are giving out the wrong signals. The PDs had a big input into this. That is my reading of the situation. I am not content."
When asked if he would be voting for the Finance Bill in the new year, Mr Blaney said: "It is not a matter at this stage of supporting or not supporting the Government on the Budget. This is something for all of us [the four Independents with an agreement with the Government] to discuss. We will be doing so later this week."
While the support of Mr Blaney and Mr Gildea for the Budget is not guaranteed by any means, the other two Independents supporting the minority Fianna Fail-Progressive Democrats administration, Mr Jackie Healy-Rae of Kerry South, and Ms Mildred Fox of Wicklow, are expected to give it their support.
Mr Healy-Rae has said that while everyone is not satisfied he is prepared to accept the amendment introduced by Mr McCreevy. He said he had also been authorised to speak on behalf of Ms Fox, who is in the US.
The Budget would be voted through without the support of Mr Blaney and Mr Gildea, but if a third Independent was to vote against, along with Fine Gael, Labour, the Greens, Sinn Fein, the Socialist Party and the two other Independents, Mr Michael Lowry and Mr Tony Gregory, the Finance Act would not be passed and the Government would not survive.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael has tabled a Dail motion in Private Members' Time today demanding that the Government take the necessary steps to ensure full participation in the pay talks. The motion is supported by the Labour Party.
Mr Bruton has said that patching up the Budget by instalments damages the credibility of the Government and of the budgetary process and invites further pressure from other groups.
The Fine Gael motion calls on the Government to take the necessary steps to "reassure the participants in the talks of its good faith and restore the degree of trust and confidence essential for any negotiations to be successful".
The motion will be voted on in the Dail tomorrow night.