Thirty-one Fianna Fail TDs and senators attended a briefing yesterday by the 16 health and union groups in favour of the ban on smoking in public places.
They made up the majority of the 60 Oireachtas members at the briefing in the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin.
Despite divisions within Fianna Fáil, those who were there were in full support of the ban.
Dún Laoghaire TD Mr Barry Andrews said he had always supported it. "I believe any debate over the principle of the ban is over. The detail of its implementation and enforcement needs to be debated."
The leader of the Seanad, Senator Mary O'Rourke, said she was "very boring" in that she had been in favour of the outright ban. She had no problem with the dissent within Fianna Fáil on the debate. "It would be a boring party if everybody agreed with each other."