Support for Fine Gael has fallen by six points to 20%, according to the latest Sunday TribuneMillward Brown IMS opinion poll. The party is polling poorly in urban areas and has slipped to third place behind Fianna Fail and Labour in Dublin.

Since the last Sunday Tribune poll in early September, satisfaction with Kenny has declined by eight points to 38%, while there has been a significant increase in his dissatisfaction rating which, at 42%, is up 13 points. There was further bad news for the alternative coalition with support for the Labour Party declining by two points to 10%.

Fianna Fail looks set to be heading for a third consecutive term in government and, according to today's poll findings, the PDs remain the most likely coalition partners for Bertie Ahern's party.

Despite the payments controversy, support for Fianna Fail has returned to 42%, the level achieved at the last general election. The party has added five points to its national support base since early September, with significant increases in backing in Dublin and other urban areas (up nine per cent to 43% since last month), and among betteroff voters (up 13% to 47%).

Satisfaction with the Taoiseach has increased by two points to 56%. Significantly, satisfaction with the government's performance has broken through the 50% level for only the second time since the 2002 election.

Some 51% are satisfied with the government, an increase of eight points on last month's poll.

The latest Sunday Tribune poll was taken on the back of three weeks of sustained criticism of Ahern and his new Tanaiste, Michael McDowell. This was also a period in which Fine Gael and Labour organised several photo opportunities for their two party leaders and published two joint policy documents, while Fine Gael spent heavily on a national billboard campaign promoting Kenny.

When asked which of the two party leaders would make a better Taoiseach, 56% . . . an increase of six points . . . opted for Ahern, compared with Kenny's rating of 25% . . . a fall of four points on the previous poll.

There is minimal movement in support levels for the smaller parties and independents, although satisfaction with Green leader Trevor Sargent has increased by seven points to 43%.

The poll shows that 55% believe Ahern was wrong to take money when he was finance minister although 25% said he was right and 17% said judgement depended on the circumstances.

The respondents were evenly divided over Ahern's explanation about the payments with 44% believing him and 46% not believing him. A clear majority (65%) said Ahern should not have resigned over the controversy, while 56% said Michael McDowell was correct to keep the PDs in government.