Ms Doherty said the clarity on Mr Healy Rae's movements is needed after it emerged the Kerry TD was a five-hour drive away in Sneem on the same day as he was signed into the Dáil for a key EU Brexit debate.

Ireland has finally secured a foothold at the summit of European central banking following the appointment of Central Bank governor Philip Lane to the six member executive board of the ECB, as chief economist.

The Government must create a €2bn Brexit stabilisation fund, strengthen the rights of workers at risk of a Brexit “race to the bottom” and impose a border poll deadline if the EU and UK fail to strike a deal by the end of next month.

The Government will spend nothing on top-of-the-range Audi cars to ferry EU officials around for the presidency, but the car manufacturer will receive “prime-time advertising” on air, a senior Fine Gael figure said.

The Socialist grouping in the European Parliament is calling on Charlie McCreevy to be removed as the EU's Internal Market Commissioner.