A senior Government Minister has warned Fianna Fáil that they cannot decide the Tanaiste's future.
According to the Irish Times, Fianna Fáil has indicated it will not facilitate Frances Fitzgerald's reappointment as Justice Minister after recent scandals in the Garda force.
In recent months alone the force has been in the headlines for the whistleblower scandal, false breath test data, and financial problems at the Templemore training college.
Opposition parties have called for the removal or resignation of Garda Commissioner Noirín O'Sullivan over the controversies, but the Government itself has faced criticism over its handling of the issues.
Yesterday, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy said: "My interactions with the Minister on this issue over the last few months have been unsatisfactory and have raised concerns about Minister Fitzgerald’s willingness to be open and transparent regarding the serious issues raised in the [Templemore] report’s findings."
Housing Minister Simon Coveney - one of the frontrunners to become next Fine Gael leader - says the current make-up of the Government means his party decides who stays.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, he said: "Fianna Fáil don't have the power to veto anything when it comes to Cabinet appointments. That was made very clear during a written down confidence and supply agreement discussion.
"It will be a Fine Gael leader, and if that person is Taoiseach, he or she is the person who will choose the Cabinet appointments. It certainly won't be an opposition doing that."
