The Dublin North-Central TD had a 45-minute meeting with the Taoiseach on Friday night, but it is understood that an extremely assertive Taoiseach did not offer any apologies for what had happened and made no promises to Haughey about future promotion.

Haughey reacted to the disappointment of being overlooked for ministerial office last week by stating he would reflect on his future in politics over the coming weeks.

Friends say this effectively boils down to three options:

contesting the next election as an independent; quitting politics or fighting the election as a Fianna Fail candidate. And they say he will make his decision based on how best to serve the interests of his constituents.

The meeting between Ahern and Haughey was said to be cordial, but it is understood that Ahern laid down the law, stating that as Taoiseach, he would do as he wishes in relation to government appointments.

Meanwhile, well-placed sources have told the Sunday Tribune that fears that Mary Wallace might have opted not to contest the next general election were a significant factor in the Taoiseach's decision to choose her for promotion.

Wallace is known to have been extremely angry at the Taoiseach's failure to reappoint her as a minister of state after the last general election and had adopted an extremely low-profile since then.

It is believed Ahern feared that Wallace might opt not to contest the new three-seat constituency of Meath East . . .where Fianna Fail hopes to win two seats . . . if she was not promoted.

A spokeswoman for Fianna Fail said she was "in no way" aware of any suggestion that Wallace might not stand again.

However, it would explain why the Taoiseach opted to appoint Wallace last week rather than adopting the more logical strategy of waiting until Sile de Valera's likely departure before promoting the Meath deputy.

Ahern has in recent days moved to re-assert his authority amid scenes of near-rebellion among FF backbenchers in the wake of Tuesday's reshuffle announcement. During an interview on Clare FM, the Taoiseach effectively publicly asked Sile de Valera to resign as junior minister during the coming year.

De Valera is extremely hurt about the way speculation surrounding her future has been handled, particularly because nobody has contacted her to ask her to stand aside.