Fine Gael and Labour will today publish the first in a series of agreed policy documents in an attempt to build the credibility of the alternative government they will offer voters at next year's general election.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte will meet in Mullingar today, with party spokesmen saying they will review the progress of negotiations between their parties in key policy areas.
Senior party figures held a series of meetings over the summer to work towards agreeing policies in the key areas of crime, health and the economy.
The leaders will hold a press conference after their meeting to highlight their determination to form the next government.
The choice of Mullingar for their meeting is symbolic as it was there two years ago that the two men made their first joint public statement about their decision to fight the next election in alliance with each other. After the two leaders speak, Fine Gael health spokesman Liam Twomey and Labour spokeswoman Liz McManus will launch a joint document on mental health policy.
Spokesmen for Fine Gael and Labour said yesterday that work was well advanced on all three areas under discussion.
A Fine Gael spokesman said policy documents were "ready to go" in some of these areas, and would be published in sequence over the next few months.
A Labour spokesman last night said today's event was "highly significant."
"Never in the history of the State has an alternative government published such detailed policies this far in advance of a general election."
He said Fianna Fáil had now also decided to publish a series of policy proposals, saying this showed the alternative coalition was taking the lead in explaining to voters what it stood for.
Today's event coincides with the second day of Fianna Fáil's two-day "think-in" in Mayo.