Dáil Sketch / Michael O'Regan: The heat was on in the Dáil yesterday.
The controversy surrounding Minister of State for Transport Ivor Callely was raised, and Ceann Comhairle Dr Rory O'Hanlon was threatened with a motion of no confidence.
Mr Callely had hit the morning headlines with the revelation that his private secretary had resigned after a dispute over his request that she attend an event she saw as political.
The Minister of State was not present when Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny asked if it was proposed to amend the code of conduct for officeholders, or where ministers of state ordered private secretaries to attend various functions.
"I ask this in the light of the antics of 'engine Callely'," he added.
Tánaiste Mary Harney, who was taking the Order of Business, said she was not aware of any plan to amend the code. Clearly, as far as the PDs were concerned, Mr Callely was on his own if there was to be any political fallout from the controversy.
If the Callely question lit something of a fuse under the Government, the political temperature positively soared when Labour leader Pat Rabbitte asked Ms Harney about the fuel allowance for the elderly. It had not been increased from €9, almost the cost of a half-bag of coal, since 2002, he said.
Ruling the question out, Dr O'Hanlon said it should be addressed to Minister for Social and Family Affairs Séamus Brennan and was not appropriate to the Order of Business.
A clearly irritated Mr Rabbitte did not accept the ruling, adding that older people were vulnerable in weather that was forecast to become inclement.
The political temperature soared even higher, as the exchanges took on a particularly bitter tone. Mr Rabbitte threatened a motion of no confidence next year, adding that Dr O'Hanlon, FF TD for Cavan- Monaghan, might get the support of his own but lose the confidence of the Opposition.
Asserting the independence of his office, Dr O'Hanlon remarked that the chair lived "in isolation" in the House.
Meanwhile, Cork Fianna Fáil backbencher Ned O'Keeffe was again observed taking a seat deep in the Opposition benches. The man who has argued for a more socialist outlook by the Government sat to the left of Labour's Michael D Higgins.
When Mr O'Keeffe asked about the demise of the sugar-beet industry, he was ruled out of order, prompting Fine Gael's Michael Ring to remark that Fianna Fáil backbenchers were very disillusioned.
Noting that it was a "lesser matter" to what had been raised earlier, Mr Higgins wondered about the proposed comprehensive nuclear best ban treaty in the Government's programme.
Ms Harney seemed relieved to move on to more arcane policy matters.
Later, the Question Time bells tolled for Mr Callely, who had to make his mandatory appearance in the House to take transport questions. He looked bothered.
By then, the political temperature had subsided somewhat, but backbenchers were privately wondering in the corridors if he had received a roasting from the Taoiseach for securing the kind of publicity the Government could do without.