Following Opposition demands, the Government has agreed to hold the Cork South be held on Friday, October 23rd, instead of the previous day, as had been decided by the Cabinet.

Opposition party whips called for the delay to facilitate the thousands of student voters living away from the constituency, as well as many shop employees who are required to work late on Thursday nights.

The Government had originally resisted the proposal because if held on Friday, the election would coincide with the Cork Jazz Festival. However, it decided to change the date following intensive representations by Fine Gael and other parties.

Objections to the original date emerged in the Dail yesterday as the Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, moved the writ for the by-election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Mr Hugh Coveney last March. It is traditional for the party of a deceased TD to move the writ for the subsequent by-election.

Moving the writ, Mr Bruton said there were few sadder occasions on which he would move a writ than as a result of the "appal ling death" of Mr Coveney. Perhaps, in deference to Mr Coveney's memory, the Government should hold the by-election on a Friday to maximise the turnout of younger voters, he said.

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said he had checked possible dates for the by-election with the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey. Representations from the office of the returning officer suggested that a by-election on October 23rd would conflict with the city's annual jazz festival, an event which attracts thousands of visitors.

A Government spokesman last night confirmed that a meeting of party whips had not led to a resolution of the problem but shortly after 9 p.m., a Government spokesman announced the decision had been reversed.

The Budget will be delivered to the House on Wednesday, December 2nd, Mr Ahern told the Fine Gael spokesman on finance, Mr Michael Noonan.