The cabinet is expected to set July 18 as the first day of the no-confidence debate brought on by the opposition's censure motion, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said on Monday.
He said the motion had been accepted by the House of Representatives for inclusion on the agenda and the House had asked the government to decide on suitable dates for the debate.
The cabinet would make the decision at its meeting on Tuesday. Government and opposition whips could then meet to settle how many days the debate should last, Mr Wissanu said.
Asked whether the starting date would be July 18, as previously speculated, Mr Wissanu said this was probable as there were public holidays in the preceding week.
The opposition censure motion targets Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and 10 other cabinet members.
Opposition chief whip Sutin Klangsang has said they need at least four days to grill the 11 ministers.
Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the opposition wanted as many days as possible for the debate, not because it had solid evidence against any cabinet ministers but to use the House of Representatives as a forum to campaign for votes ahead to the general election.
He said the opposition should focus more on the content of the debate than the number of days, and should clearly point out the government's shortcomings with solid evidence, not through rhetoric or sarcasm.
The opposition has said it plans to deliver knock-out punches and submit a request for the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the prime minister and some other ministers for corruption.
Mr Thanakorn said the government was ready to clarify every issue which might be raised by the opposition.
