TDs have refused to grant Senators the use of the Dáil chamber on non-sitting days during the year-long multi-million euro refurbishment of Leinster House due to begin this summer.
The request from the leader of the Seanad, Senator Donie Cassidy, was considered at a meeting this week of the Dáil's Committee on Procedure and Privileges, chaired by Ceann Comhairle John O'Donoghue.
Senators are unhappy about the Office of Public Works' recommendation that they should move to the Natural History Museum to allow urgent repairs to be carried out.
However, the committee decided to turn down the request for accommodation, partly on the grounds that it would not be fitting for two Houses of the Oireachtas to operate from the same rooms for such a long period.
Faced with the Senators' objections, the OPW and Houses of the Oireachtas staff are looking at other options - though the OPW's preference remains for the nearby museum, partly because it is part of the same complex of buildings.
Now attention has turned to requesting the assistance of the Royal College of Physicians on Kildare Street, the National Gallery on Merrion Square, or, perhaps, the Bank of Ireland on College Green.
The work needed to be carried out on the Leinster House building, is now expected to require the roof to be taken off the building, TDs were told this week by the OPW.
Though a closer home would be preferred, a number of Oireachtas members have begun in recent days to press for a serious examination of the Bank of Ireland - since it was home of the Irish parliament up to the Act of Union.
It was the first purpose-built parliament house in the world and was constructed between 1729 and 1739 at a time of public confidence in Dublin and is still graced by Edward Smyth's sculptures of wisdom, justice and liberty.
