Minister for Health Mary Harney has ruled out making a deal with former Progressive Democrat Noel Grealish to retain his support for the Government.
Mr Grealish, a Galway TD, said today that he would withdraw his support for the Government over proposed health cuts in the western region.
Responding to Mr Grealish’s comments, Ms Harney said there could be no deal. “We don’t have additional money to put into west of Ireland. Everyone has to live within their budgets,” she said
In an interview with Galway Bay FM this morning, Mr Grealish, who has supported the Government since 2007, said he would be writing to the Taoiseach and Minister for Health to inform them of his decision.
“I’ve taken a stance on this. I’ve said it publicly all along that I would find it difficult to support a Government if these cuts are implemented," he said. "I think I would be wrong of me to walk into Dáil Éireann next Wednesday and sit on the Government benches while this is hanging over us.
"I will not be supporting this Government from next Wednesday onwards until I'm assured that there will be an adequate service and that patient safety will be protected at all costs," he said. "If the Taoiseach and Minister for Health wants to meet with me and discuss this I am available."
The Taoiseach said this afternoon he would study Mr Grealish's letter but said the TD must accept that the Government was working under severe financial strain and budgets were limited.
"We have to make sure that we get more for less," Mr Cowen told reporters in Limerick. "What we are talking about here is the need for our health services to stay within the service levels, or the service plans, that have been agreed at the beginning of the year."
While Mr Grealish insisted he doesn't want to "bring down" the Government, his decision further weakens the Coalition's grip on power.
Two other Independents, Tipperary TD Michael Lowry and Kerry South TD Jackie Healy Rae, are expected to continue supporting the Coalition for the present but have declared they will not vote for a new Fianna Fáil nominee for taoiseach if Brian Cowen is removed from office.
The Dáil arithmetic is complicated by the fact that three seats remain vacant. Fianna Fáil currently has 70 out of the 163 seats and there are also four Fianna Fáil TDs outside the parliamentary party who consistently vote with the Government.
When the six Green Party TDs and Mary Harney are added, the Coalition can depend on the support of 81 TDs. The three Opposition parties between them have 75 TDs, made up of 51 for Fine Gael, 20 for Labour and four for Sinn Féin.
There are six Independents, the majority of whom usually support the Government.
The Government is expected to announce that the three byelections in Donegal South West, Dublin South and Waterford will be held in the spring. If the Government loses all three, as appears likely, its Dáil position could become untenable.