The Labour leader Pat Rabbitte has said that he wants to see decentralisation of the civil service go ahead, but not as announced by the outgoing Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy.
Speaking on RTÉ News, Mr Rabbitte described the scheme as unworkable, expensive and a waste of taxpayers' money.
His comments followed statements by several ministers which have cast doubt on the three-year timetable for decentralisation, as set out by Mr McCreevy in the last Budget.
The Minister for Defence, Michael Smith, described the deadline as ambitious, while the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Noel Ahern, agreed.
Mr Ahern said he believed the policy would remain but added that the scale of decentralisation proposed would take longer than people thought to complete.
Earlier, the Minister for Transport, Seamus Brennan, said the Government would study a report from the Decentralisation Implementation Body before making any decision on extending the deadline for the civil service shake-up.
The report is due out in about two weeks.
Mr Brennan said the Government remained committed to the principle of decentralisation, but would have to examine whatever difficulties the committee under Phil Flynn threw up.
