Taoiseach Enda Kenny is promising to spend more time listening to Fine Gael backbenchers' views in the wake of the Seanad by-election rebellion.

Mr Kenny said he plans to take the power to select election candidates away from his party HQ following the John McNulty appointment affair.

At a crunch Fine Gael meeting last night, the Taoiseach spoke at some length and said he regretted "one organ of the party had not been included in proceedings as it should".

The Taoiseach is reported to have taken  copious notes of the contributions of all 44 speakers and he assured them that he would be responding to them individually.

Mr Kenny got a huge cheer for assuring that officials at Fine Gael headquarters would not be empowered in future to choose candidates for the forthcoming elections.

Mr Kenny said he would make an additional effort to listen to the Fine Gael TDs and senators from now on. He said he would make extra time available on Wednesdays to meet with backbenchers.

Mr Kenny said he was possibly going around the country too much.

The meeting unanimously agreed that people involved in politics can still be appointed to state boards.

Mr Kenny said plans to change the party's internal structures were discussed at the recent Fine Gael 'think-in' and he regretted he has not implemented them sooner.

The Taoiseach said he did not want to publicly name any party officials involved in the fiasco, as he did not want them pilloried in the media.