The Government's proposed changes to the Dáil speaking rights row will not go to a vote next week.
Tánaiste Simon Harris told the Dáil this afternoon that it would be voted through on Wednesday.
However, it has not been included on the Dáil schedule.
Due to St Patrick's Day, and the Dáil rising for a week, the earliest the vote could now take place is Wednesday 19 March.
Earlier, Mr Harris accused opposition parties of being "utterly childish" over their decision to withdraw the pairing arrangement following last night's vote at the Dáil Reform Committee to allocate new speaking slots to TDs supporting the Government.
Pairing is a procedure which involves an opposition TD abstaining in a vote if a deputy on the Government side has urgent business to attend to or is ill.
Sinn Féin's Matt Carthy claimed the Government was now plunging the Oireachtas into chaos.
The Tánaiste told the Dáil it has never been more important for ministers to travel abroad for discussions, but the withdrawal of pairings will now prevent this.
He lambasted the opposition and stated that the only thing which subverts democracy is a push toward minority rule.
He argued that all TDs should be allowed ask questions on behalf of their constituents, and he promised to vindicate that right.
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However, Sinn Féin vowed that the combined opposition parties would fight the move to provide new question time slots to the independent TDs supporting the government along with its own backbenchers.
In bitter exchanges Mr Carthy chided the government parties saying "whatever you owe Michael Lowry, you owe the Irish people more."
Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon contended that the Government had engaged in a grubby little deal with Mr Lowry and of breaking a solemn pledge not to change the Dáil speaking times without the agreement of the opposition.
The Government proposal would see regional TDs and Government backbenchers getting to put questions to the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste in a new speaking slot every Wednesday and Thursday.
Government Chief Whip Mary Butler said the details of the change, which would benefit 60 TDs, will now be finalised in advance of a full Dáil vote in the coming weeks.
The Government asserts that its proposals to change speaking rights do not see a single second of speaking time taken away from the groupings in Opposition.
Disgraceful end to meeting last night - Labour
Labour TD Duncan Smith said last night's decision was "rammed through" by Government members.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said: "It was a disgraceful end to the meeting last night."
He accused the Government of upending how the Dáil works and diminishing accountability in the process, and that the new term "other members questions" is essentially Leaders' Questions by another name. He accused the Government of "defending the indefensible".
Meanwhile, Fine Gael TD Barry Ward said that there had been dozens of hours of meeting where the issues have been discussed, and that proposals have been put to the Opposition as well as concessions being made by the Government Chief Whip.
He said, at present, the Dáil is not functioning properly, pointing out that committees have not been set up as a result.
He said that it was "totally unacceptable" that this row would continue for another few weeks, as this is not what the public wants from politicians and accused the opposition of theatrics on the entire issue.
