The Taoiseach will not say whether John McNulty should accept his seat in the Seanad if he wins next week's by-election.

Mr McNulty is understood to have been flooded with calls from TDs and Senators asking him to re-enter the race - and it is believed he may consider accepting the seat if he still wins it.

He withdrew from the Seanad by-election on Tuesday, but it was too late to get him off the ballot paper.

This afternoon Enda Kenny would not be drawn on what should happen if John McNulty wins:

The Minister of State with responsibility for Primary Healthcare, Kathleen Lynch, told Newstalk Lunchtime it is a matter for Mr McNulty to decide whether he will accept a seat in the Upper House if he is elected:

Speaking to Highland Radio, Independent candidate in the Seanad by-election Gerard Craughwell says Mr McNulty would lose all his integrity if he accepted the seat. Mr Craughwell says he "would expect [Mr McNulty] to step down straight away":

It is believed a significant number of ballot papers have already been returned, with Mr McNulty winning those votes. It is understood he has been flooded with calls from TDs and Senators asking him to get back into the hunt.

Sources close to Mr McNulty admit that despite the legal headaches that could follow, he would consider taking the seat if he were to somehow win the election anyway.

Those sources say the prospect of him winning the seat is "unthinkable", but that is not what the bookies think.

One bookmaker makes McNulty the odds-on favourite for the seat. Without a transfer pact between the other two candidates - independent Gerard Craughwell and Sinn Féin's Catherine Seeley - even a modest Fine Gael turnout could still win the seat.

Speaking about the controversy that has surrounded Mr McNulty's Seanad bid and his appointment to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), Taoiseach Enda Kenny said earlier this week that "it would not be worthy to win a seat in these circumstances".

Originally posted at 8:32am