The Government has narrowly lost a vote in the Dáil on an amendment to a private member's motion from the Rural Independent Group on the Fair Deal Nursing Home Scheme.
The motion called on the Government to honour the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to remove discrimination against small businesses and family farms.
The Government's amendment to the motion was defeated by 51 votes to 48 with 38 abstentions.
Meanwhile, the Dáil has voted in favour on establishing a special committee to look at the Eighth Amendment.
Earlier, TDs rejected a proposal from Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger that there could be a rotating membership on the committee.
126 TDs voted against the proposal with nine TDs voting in support of it.
Minister for Children Katherine Zappone has appointed a forensic archaeologist to lead a team of experts which will assess the future of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home site.
During statements in the Dail, Ms Zappone said the memory and dignity of the children who lived their short lives in the home, needed to be respected.
However, she noted the diversity of views and concerns on what might happen next at the site.
She said if there is consensus regarding the recovery and identification of the remains, an examination was necessary to see how that would be achieved.
Minister Zappone told the Dail that she was publishing the terms of reference for the lead forensic archaeologist Niamh McCullagh who will lead the work of the team of international experts.
She said she expected to receive an initial technical report by the end of June with a more detailed report on options for the future by the end of September.
She also said she was open to considering broader terms of reference into the Mother and Baby Home commission and would carry out a scoping exercise on this over the summer.
She said she was asking the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence Pablo to De Grieff to visit Ireland.
She described this as 'a defining moment for us' in dealing with the past.
