Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney has defended the €20m savings figure being put forward by the Government in its campaign on the referendum to abolish the Seanad.
The figure has been widely disputed by opponents of the proposal to scrap the upper house.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Coveney was asked if the Coalition could realistically stand over the €20m figure.
He said: "Others have also said we'd save a lot more than that, including when the last government was in place.
"They put in place Bord Snip Nua to actually look at how government could make savings and that Fianna Fáil-produced report said they could make savings of nearly €24m."
Speaking on the same programme, Fianna Fáil director of elections Niall Collins said the Seanad could not continue in its current form.
Asked about the current narrow electoral base for the upper house, Mr Collins said reform rather than abolition was the way to proceed.
He said: "I think all the reform proposals that are out there are pointing to opening up the directly electing of Senators to the wider public and I think that is a good move, which could be considered as part of a reform package."
Elsewhere, islanders living off the coast of Co Donegal cast their votes in the referendums on Seanad abolition and establishing a Court of Appeal today.
Over 750 people are registered to vote on five Donegal islands.
They traditionally vote ahead of the rest of the country in case bad weather delays the return of ballot boxes to the mainland for counting.
Arranmore has the largest electorate, with 521 people entitled to vote, while Inishfree has the smallest, with just six people on the register.
