De Valera has said she will stand down as minister of state at the Department of Education by the end of the year. Government sources said this weekend that there was an expectation that de Valera would formally resign before the end of the current Dail session on 15 December.

If the Clare TD, who is not contesting the next election, postpones her resignation until after the current Dail session, then the Taoiseach will not be formally able to fill the vacancy until the Dail meets on 31 January next.

This would mean the new junior minister would be coming into the position only weeks before the general election.

De Valera's departure will lead to renewed speculation that Dublin North Central TD Sean Haughey will be promoted from the Fianna Fail backbencher.

However, sources close to Haughey said he had been given no assurances from Ahern and that the two men had no plans to meet to discuss the imminent vacancy.

Several other deputies, including Sean Ardagh in Dublin South Central and Pat Carey in Dublin North West, could also reasonably expect a ministerial promotion.

However, Haughey's constituency has been without ministerial representation since his party colleague Ivor Callely resigned in controversial circumstances last December.

Strong speculation was allowed to build that Haughey would fill the Callely vacancy, which in the end went to Meath TD Mary Wallace. At the same time, Ahern declined to force de Valera to stand down as junior minister, after she had announced her intention not to run in the next general election. Last February, she said she would leave her junior minister's position in December.