Dáil to vote on IMF deal as FF meeting endorses Cowen

Minister Lenihan's aunt, Mary O'Rourke, had proposed holding a special meeting of the party in January to discuss the leadership. However that meeting is not now going to go ahead.

A motion to put the EU/IMF bailout agreement to a Dáil vote was unanimously passed, and will be debated by the parties next Wednesday.

It will be followed by a vote which will give Opposition parties the opportunity to state whether or not they support the bailout.

The following motion put forward by TDs Michael McGrath and Thomas Byrne: "To add political legitimacy to the agreement and to force the Opposition to take a definitive position on the matter, that the Memorandum of Understanding between the Irish Government and the EU/IMF be put to Dáil Éireann for approval."

Supporting the motion, MrCowen said: "The Memorandum of Understanding has been put in place legally, legitimately and in the national interests of this country.

"However, Fine Gael, the Labour Party and Sinn Féin continue to try to make the public believe that there is an easy way out of the country’s funding crisis. Given the seriousness of the situation, I do not believe this myth can be allowed to continue unchallenged.

"I was delighted to support this motion and look forward to the debate in Dáil Éireann next Wednesday, when we will once again give the Opposition the opportunity to either come clean, recognise that this deal is essential and in the best interests of the country, or spell out their alternative.

“Debating and supporting a motion in the Dáil will also give certainty to the international community that the deal has been confirmed by the parliament, that the country is doing what needs to be done to repair its public finances and that Ireland is up to the challenge.”