Deal to form Ireland’s next government reached with Regional Independent Group

A deal has been reached to form Ireland’s next government, after an agreement was finalised between Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Regional Independent Group.

It now paves the way to the formation of the country’s next government.

As the draft Programme for Government is finalised, it has been confirmed that two Independent TDs have been given two super junior ministerial roles.

The negotiating teams in Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have ended their discussions with the group, with the hope of having a draft Programme for Government document ready for publication soon.

Talks between the two parties and the Regional Independent Group, led by Tipperary North TD Michael Lowry, entered its final stages on Tuesday.

The Regional Independent group, which has seven members, has been given two super junior ministerial roles, meaning that two of its members will have a seat at the Cabinet table.

The roles will be allocated to Galway East TD Sean Canney and Noel Grealish, TD for Galway West.

Mr Canney told RTE that not achieving senior ministerial roles would not diminish the influence the independent TDs would have.

He said: “What we wanted to do was to make sure we had strong representation within the Cabinet.

“When decisions are made, we will have access to Cabinet and we will be involved in participating fully in Cabinet. We will be doing that.

“The fact that we are super junior ministers, as opposed to senior ministers, doesn’t diminish the influence we will have.

“Having two people in there working with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael is a great advantage.

“Secondly, we have inputted a lot into the Programme for Government, which we have now concluded and which will be ratified hopefully over the weekend.

“I think it is important that we have that say and we have that back-up of one another to remind our colleagues that the Programme for Government is what we have set out and we need to work together to produce the goods for the people over the next five years.”

Marian Harkin, TD for Sligo-Leitrim and TD for Longford-Westmeath Kevin “Boxer” Moran will hold the junior ministerial roles.

Talks with brothers, Michael Healy-Rae and Danny Healy-Rae, are still ongoing.

Once finished, the text of the Programme for Government will then have to be ratified by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael members.

The Fianna Fail parliamentary party will hold a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the document, which is expected to be published some hours before it takes place.

The Fine Gael parliamentary party will also meet to examine the contents of the document.

Both parties will then have to put the draft version of the Programme for Government to members for vote. Fianna Fail will hold a conference this weekend to debate and vote on the contents.

Fine Gael will hold a series of regional meetings over the coming days.

It means that the parties are set to have everything agreed and finalised before the return of the Dail on January 22.

Earlier this week, a Sunday Independent Ireland Thinks poll showed that most respondents were at least somewhat satisfied with a Government consisting of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and regional independents.

Twenty-three percent were very satisfied, 32% were somewhat satisfied, 15% were somewhat unsatisfied while 29% were very unsatisfied with that composition.

The leaders of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have faced criticism for engaging in government talks with Mr Lowry, who was heavily criticised in a judge-led inquiry examining payments to politicians.

The 70-year-old was criticised in a tribunal that was established in September 1997, which examined payments to former Irish premier Charles Haughey and Mr Lowry.

The tribunal’s final report was published in March 2011 and found that Mr Lowry, a former Fine Gael TD, helped businessman Denis O’Brien secure the State’s second mobile phone licence in 1995.

The tribunal also criticised his behaviour as “profoundly corrupt”.

Most respondents to the Sunday poll said Fianna Fail and Fine Gael should not be dealing with the independent TD.

Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tanaiste Micheal Martin both refused to say whether they consider Mr Lowry to be trustworthy.