Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are expected to discuss on Tuesday how they will approach the election of a ceann comhairle for the Dáil as canvassing of TDs by at least four hopefuls intensifies.
It comes as talks between the potential parties to a coalition continued on Monday, with Fine Gael meeting with Labour. It’s understood the meeting focused on areas of policy, including housing, climate, enterprise and health.
Ivana Bacik’s party will meet Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin on Tuesday, and hold a meeting of its parliamentary party afterwards to discuss developments.
The Social Democrats will meet Fine Gael on Thursday, and the party is preparing position papers on housing, climate and disability in advance of the talks.
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The nine-strong Regional Group of Independents – widely seen as the likely source of numbers to ensure a Fianna Fáil coalition with Fine Gael has a Dáil majority – has asked for the support of TDs in the two big parties for Wexford deputy Verona Murphy to assume the ceann comhairle’s role.
However, the Dáil vote on Wednesday is by secret ballot and neither Fianna Fáil nor Fine Gael have offered a commitment that their TDs will vote for her. It is not expected that parties will put forward their leaders for a Dáil vote on the next Taoiseach on Wednesday.
At least two Fianna Fáil TDs – outgoing ceann comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl and John McGuinness – are also seeking the speaker’s role, and another, Michael Moynihan, is expected to make his own intentions known imminently.
Fianna Fáil’s parliamentary party is expected to discuss its approach to the ceann comhairle election when it meets today.
[ Five names in the mix in race to be next ceann comhairleOpens in new window ]
On Monday, Taoiseach Simon Harris, the Fine Gael leader, was asked if his party would support the candidacy of Ms Murphy in the context of a possible deal for a coalition government involving Independent TDs. He said: “I am conscious it is an individual vote that every TD has. So nobody in my party will be whipped in relation to this issue.”
He said he would update his colleagues at the meeting of its TDs on Tuesday on the progress of government-formation talks, and his assessment of how the ceann comhairle role relates to those talks.
Tipperary North Independent TD Michael Lowry – a former Fine Gael minister – has been selected by the Regional Group as their point of contact with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. There has long been controversy over Mr Lowry’s involvement with the Moriarty tribunal, the findings of which he has disputed.
Mr Harris said that the leaders had a duty to try to form a stable government and, when pressed, said Mr Lowry had “supported many governments over many years at this stage”.
“The most important thing is the policy programme that the government delivers, and my priority now is on getting as much of the Fine Gael manifesto implemented as possible.”
He argued that Mr Lowry had a mandate to participate in government-formation talks.
During a visit to Brussels, Fianna Fáil leader and Tánaiste Micheál Martin was asked about the prospect of an Independent TDs getting a Cabinet seat as part of a government deal. He said there would be discussions on such issues, but he would not go into specifics.
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