The Fianna Fail-PD coalition government is five points ahead of the alternative, a new poll showed today.
The swing in public support shows the Government on 36 per cent, with the alternative Fine Gael and Labour coalition on 31 per cent.
The figures were disclosed in the second part of the Irish Times/TNS mrbi poll and were calculated on how voters would rate the alternative coalition in terms of how they would deal with six major issues.
Improvements in public services such as health, transport and education was the top priority of 56 per cent of people surveyed.
Continued success of the economy was on 13 per cent, followed by crime on 12 per cent, waste of public expenditure on 9 per cent, and the need to keep taxes low at just 6 per cent.
Although the current coalition was just slightly ahead on the provision of better childcare by just 1per cent, it was at a steady advantage in sustaining economic growth, keeping taxes low, controlling consumer prices, and on the management of the Northern peace process.
However, despite health being the top priority, the opposition scraped back some support from those who believed the Rainbow was ahead and was improving the quality of the health services, with 31per cent against 27per cent for the Fianna Fail-PD coalition.
In a similar poll in The Irish Timesin May the Fine Gael-led alternative was ahead with 36per cent, compared with 32per cent for the Government.