The poll puts the two parties at their 2002 general election levels of 42% and four percent respectively which, if repeated next May, would guarantee the coalition is returned to power, probably with a comfortable majority.

The findings suggest that not only have the Taoiseach and Fianna Fail been unscathed by the controversy surrounding Bertie Ahern's admission that he took money from friends and businessmen in the early 1990s, but they have actually been strengthened by the whole affair. There is hardly a single piece of bad news for the government, and Fianna Fail in particular, in the opinion poll results.

Fianna Fail is up five points since the last Sunday Tribune/Millward Brown IMS poll just a month ago, taken before the revelations about the Taoiseach. This growth is exclusively down to a surge in support in urban areas, where support for Fine Gael has dropped sharply.

Fianna Fail is performing particularly strongly in Dublin, the key battleground in every general election. At 43% the party is up an astonishing nine percentage points in the capital in just a month . . . six points higher than its 2002 generalelection performance of 37% when it won 21 of the 47 seats available. On this performance, it would be well-placed to hold that number of seats in the next election, despite earlier predictions that as many as five of its seats were vulnerable on the northside of the city and that seats in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin South-West and Dublin South-East were also far from safe.

The party's vote is up slightly in Munster from last month but, at 39% in the southern province, it is still four points shy of its 2002 general election performance when it took over half the seats on offer. Fianna Fail is, however, back to 2002 levels in the 'Rest of Leinster', where it has 44% support.

The main government party is weakest among young voters, with just 32% of 18- to 24year-olds supporting . . . roughly the same as last month . . . but this is the segment of the electorate that is least likely to vote. Fianna Fail's rating has shot up from last month in the 25-34 and 35-49 age groups by nine and eight points respectively, and the party is particularly strong among the over 65s with 53% support.

Growth in support for Fianna Fail in recent weeks has been strongest in the well-off AB voter category, where it increased by 13 percentage points from September, and among farmers, the poll shows.

Satisfaction with the Taoiseach increased by two percentage points to 56%, well ahead of Enda Kenny's rating of 38%, although still below the 68% that Ahern enjoyed at the time of the last general election.

On two other key questions, Ahern strongly outperforms Kenny. Asked which of the party leaders best understands the social and economic issues affecting Ireland, 44% said Ahern (up seven points from last month), while just 13% chose Kenny (down five) and 11% opted for Pat Rabbitte. Asked to choose between Ahern and Kenny as Taoiseach, 56% said Ahern, an increase of six percentage points in a month, while 25% picked Kenny, a decline of four points. Ahern's support was particularly strong among those over 50, who generally are more likely to vote.

Satisfaction ratings with the government also jumped eight points to 51%, with the level of dissatisfaction dropping to 45%. That 51% figure is the highest the government has achieved since February of last year, which in turn was the highest approval rating the coalition had achieved since the 2002 general election. Satisfaction with the government is among males, those over 50 and farmers.

Support for the PDs held firm at four percent. There was particularly good news for the party in its Dublin heartland, where it is attracting eight percent of voters . . . up one point from last month . . .

leaving the party well-placed to hold its four seats in the capital.

If there is a disappointment for the party, it is in the performance of new party leader Michael McDowell. Last month's poll was taken before Mary Harney's resignation as party leader and showed her with a satisfaction rating of 39%. McDowell has failed to even reach this disappointing figure, with just 35% of the electorate satisfied with his performance. the lowest figure returned by a PD leader since the general election.

McDowell's handling of the recent crisis has been criticised in the media, but 56% of the electorate backed his decision not to pull out of government, compared to 30% who said he should have withdrawn his party. Just three percent of voters picked him as the party leader that best understood the social and economic issues facing Ireland, compared to six percent for Harney last month. However, McDowell will be happy at the stability in his party's support.