Green Party leader John Gormley has said Taoiseach Bertie Ahern should make a clarifying statement following the latest evidence at the Mahon Tribunal.
Mr Gormley said such a statement would be in the best interest of the Taoiseach and the country at large.
He said there was considerable concern in his party and among the public about the latest revelations.
The Minister denied that he was making a U-turn or that he had been forced to make a statement following comments by Minister for Health Mary Harney earlier today.
He said concern had been expressed within the Green Party at a meeting between the parliamentary party and councillors yesterday.
But Mr Gormley said it was a matter for the Taoiseach as to when he made a statement.
Earlier, Ms Harney said the Taoiseach must act quickly to eliminate considerable public disquiet over the evidence given to the tribunal last week about his financial affairs.
Her comments followed those of Progressive Democrats Senator Fiona O'Malley, who called on Mr Ahern to clarify his sworn testimony to the inquiry.
Ms Harney said the evidence given by the Taoiseach's former constituency secretary Gráinne Carruth to the planning tribunal had caused considerable public disquiet.
She said if she was going to raise the matter with the Taoiseach she would do it privately and not at cabinet level.
Ms Harney said at this stage the Taoiseach was the only one who could address the public concerns.
However, the Minister of State for Children, Brendan Smith, has rejected calls for the Taoiseach to issue a statement clarifying evidence he has given to the Mahon Tribunal.
Mr Smith said the Fianna Fáil Party was totally and solidly behind the Taoiseach and he expected Mr Ahern would give 'appropriate, adequate and full' responses at the tribunal.
Mr Smith was speaking at the launch of the National Youth Justice Strategy at Farmleigh House in Dublin.
FF cllrs urge Taoiseach to name date
Two Fianna Fáil councillors have said that they believe the Taoiseach should name a date for stepping down as leader of Fianna Fáil.
Cllr Francis Conaghan from Donegal and Cllr Michael Cahill from Kerry spoke to RTÉ News while attending the annual conference of the Local Authorities Members Association in Trim, Co Meath.
Both councillors said they believed the Taoiseach should step down before the local and European elections.
Cllr Conaghan said there was a nervousness within the party about the latest revelations from the Mahon Tribunal and that Fianna Fáil needed fresh leadership ahead of the next elections.
Cllr Cahill said he believed that Fianna Fáil had been damaged by the latest revelations. He said there was significant disquiet among the public and that he was hearing it on a daily basis.
Both councillors said they believed their views were representative of those at a grassroots level.
