Talks to form the next government will officially kick off on Tuesday, with early points of contention between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil emerging.
Following a meeting on Monday between Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris, where it was agreed to proceed with official talks, the lead negotiators from each party will meet on Tuesday evening. Minister for Justice Helen McEntee will lead the talks for Fine Gael and Minister for Finance Jack Chambers will lead for Fianna Fáil.
Senior sources said there are early points of difference between the two parties, notably plans to cut the VAT rate for hospitality, which was pushed by Fine Gael during the election campaign, and the introduction of a Department of Domestic Affairs, pushed for by Fianna Fáil in the campaign.
It is understood that the talks due to kick off on Tuesday will focus on setting a structure for the discussions in the coming weeks.
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The wider party teams will meet on Tuesday evening, too.
It comes as Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik plans to meet Mr Martin and Mr Harris later this week, although the party remains undecided on entering into any formal negotiation process.
Ms Bacik told a meeting of her party on Monday that she had phone calls with Mr Martin and Mr Harris , following earlier calls last week.
Plans are now afoot for meetings between the three later this week. A party source stressed that the meetings would not represent a formal negotiation but instead would be a direct conversation.
The Labour Party will await the outcome of these meetings, but it is understood that something “significant” would need to be on offer to convince the parliamentary party to proceed with official government formation negotiation. “We will reassess as a parliamentary party then,” a source said.
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Ms Bacik is also planning to write to the leaders of the Social Democrats and Green Party to seek further development of a centre-left common platform, potentially after the election.
Last week, the Social Democrats rejected the Labour Party’s offer of forming a left-leaning negotiating bloc as part of government formation talks. Members of the Labour Party believe that the Social Democrats may instead be open to forming such a bloc when government formation talks have completed.
Meanwhile, the Taoiseach, Mr Harris separately met with some members of the eight-strong Regional Group of Independents amid the possibility that non-party TDs may ultimately be relied upon to ensure a Dáil majority for a coalition between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
He is understood to have spoken with Wexford TD Verona Murphy and Galway East TD Seán Canney on Monday.
Barry Heneghan, an independent TD for Dublin Bay North, also met Mr Harris. The new TD was accompanied by his director of elections Finian McGrath, who was an Independent Alliance Minister of State during the 2016 to 2020 Fine Gael-led minority government. Mr Heneghan described the talks with Mr Harris as “very positive” but did not offer further details.
Meath East TD Gillian Toole also confirmed she met Mr Harris on Monday.
Sligo-Leitrim TD Marian Harkin and Galway West TD Noel Grealish are expected to talk to Mr Harris on Tuesday.
Minister for Finance Jack Chambers has said it would likely be at least January before a new coalition government is put together.
Speaking on Monday in Brussels, Mr Chambers said the coalition would need to have more than 90 TDs at “a minimum” to survive, and likely a bigger “buffer” of seats if it wanted to last a full five-year term.
Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have 86 TDs between them, at present two short of a simple majority of 88 in the next Dáil, which has seen the Labour Party or a group of like-minded Independents come to the fore as options to make up the numbers.
Mr Chambers said it would be very unlikely any deal would be reached in time for the first sitting of the new Dáil on December 18th.
“You want to have some buffer of strength so that you have a majority that can work ... As a previous chief whip I know you need to have a buffer to ensure that majority lasts and sustains over five years,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said his preference would be for a coalition with a “strong majority”, based on a programme for government that was heavy on detail.
Mr McConalogue was speaking in Brussels on his way into a meeting of EU agriculture ministers, while Mr Chambers was attending a meeting of euro zone finance ministers.
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