The Federal Government has found a Coalition MP who is prepared to be deputy speaker and pair with Speaker Harry Jenkins, the ABC understands.

ABC News 24 political editor Chris Uhlmann has been told the deal is close to being sealed.

Any such move by a Coalition MP would preserve the Government's two-seat majority and would no doubt enrage the Opposition and its leader Tony Abbott.

This lunchtime Queensland Liberal MP Alex Somlyay, who was dumped as the Opposition's whip in the recent reshuffle, told ABC Radio Current Affairs that he had been approached for the deputy speaker's job and was considering his position.

Earlier he told ABC NewsRadio that he would speak publicly on the reported job offer later today.

But the Opposition's treasury spokesman, Joe Hockey, says such a deal will never happen.

And he has issued a warning to anyone willing to enter into a pairing arrangement with the speaker.

"It's absurd and it's just dead wrong and the constituents of that Member of Parliament should be outraged that they will not have an effective voice in the Parliament if they are given a pairing arrangement with the speaker," he said.

Meanwhile, the Government has confirmed that Mr Jenkins will be its nomination to continue in the speaker's job when Parliament begins next Tuesday.

The major parties are locked in a brawl over the speaker's role, after the Coalition backed out of a deal to have the speaker paired with an opposite member during divisions.

Walking away from the deal yesterday, Mr Abbott argued that it was unconstitutional.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and independents Bob Katter and Tony Windsor have attacked Mr Abbott for going back on his word.