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.

Social Protection Minister, Regina Doherty, wants to increase paid parental leave to 12 months, which would be shared between the mother and the father.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar may use the resignation of Frances Fitzgerald as Tánaiste as an opportunity for a wider reshuffle at Cabinet to embolden the party ahead of any general election.

Maternity leave is being extended for mothers whose babies are born prematurely.

Half of the Cabinet has yet to put approve a single piece of legislation almost a year after the formation of the Government, with “internal angst” in Fine Gael blamed for weak law-making.