The Green Party convention in Dundalk has overwhelmingly rejected a motion censuring the party's performance in Government.
However it also rejected an alternative motion commending the Green ministers' achievements over the last ten months.
The only really contentious motion down for debate today came from Dublin mid-west and called for the party's performance in Government to be censured because of the ‘very slow progress’ in dealing with issues of importance.
Delegate Justin Byrne proposed the motion and said it was not a motion of no confidence or a call to withdraw from Government it was simply a motion to 'pull their little Green socks up'.
But most speakers praised the role of the Greens in Government and said it was far too early to criticise their performance, ten months into a five-year term.
Dublin mid-west TD Paul Gogarty urged delegates to reject a counter-motion congratulating the party on its achievements in office.
Mr Gogarty said it was too early either to praise or condemn what the party had achieved in Government.
He said he would be calling for a special convention to discuss education funding if extra money promised in the programme for Government is not delivered in the next Budget.
Delegates at the Green Party Conference also passed a motion calling for a restructuring of the HSE and the establishment of new local healthcare structures with responsibility for the delivery of community based services such as elderly, maternity and childcare.
Proposing the motion, Senator Deirdre de Burca said the HSE seemed to be operating at arms length from the Department of Health.
She said the core issues were the organisation, management and delivery of health services and since the abolition of the health boards and the creation of the HSE the problems seem to have got worse not better.
Nobody spoke in opposition to the motion.
The Green Party also passed a motion calling on all witnesses to comply fully with the Mahon Tribunal and upon all political parties and actors to co-operate with its ‘commendable work’.
Proposer of the motion, Trinity Greens member Barra Roantree, said the epitaph of the current Taoiseach would be ‘technically I wasn't corrupt’.
He said Mr Ahern's resignation may have taken some of the heat out of the motion but the motion was really about reaffirming the party's opposition to corruption in Irish politics.
He said the motion was not critical of the Green Party in Government and he called on delegates to support the motion.
Nobody spoke in opposition to the motion and it was approved by delegates overwhelmingly.
Earlier passed a motion calling on the Government to hold a debate on Irish neutrality with a view to drawing up a definition of our neutrality to be inserted in the Constitution.
Speaking in support of one of the amendments, former Green Party MEP Patricia McKenna said the issue of neutrality was of vital importance to the Green Party and to the future of country.
