Enda Kenny offers Micheál Martin full and equal partnership in Government

Acting Taoiseach Enda Kenny has offered Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin a full and equal partnership in government.

Mr Kenny met Mr Martin in Leinster House at 8.30pm on Wednesday evening to discuss the formation of government.

A Fine Gael statement said Mr Kenny and Mr Martin had a constructive meeting at which Mr Kenny made a formal offer for the formation of a full partnership government including Fine Gael, Independents and Fianna Fáil which would have the potential to provide a stable and lasting government.

The meeting was attended by Mr Martin, Mr Kenny and a note taker.

The offer was tabled as part of the first discussions between the two party leaders.

They are due to meet again on Thursday morning ahead of a Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting at 11am.

It is understood Mr Martin is to bring any proposal to the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting on Thursday.

Earlier, Mr Kenny told the Dáil he had invited Mr Martin to have “a conversation”.

“I expect Deputy Martin will oblige in that regard, as to how we might have an initial discussion,” he said.

Speaking after the votes for taoiseach, Mr Kenny said he made no apology for spending considerable time engaging with the Independents. Ireland faced important challenges, not just here at home with housing, homeless and other issues, but internationally.

He added: “I want to say to Deputy Martin, whom I know for very many years, I want to be as flexible and as generous as possible in this regard.”

Mr Kenny said it was not just about numbers; it was also about stability and building a relationship of trust.

‘No contact’

The Fianna Fáil leader said the electorate had rejected the “constant hype and spin” and there had been endless unattributed comment, which he warned the Taoiseach “has to stop”.

Earlier on Wednesday, he said to Mr Kenny: “I would even say Taoiseach, that in terms of meeting I have no difficulty in meeting you at all but I don’t have to read about it at 7 in the morning that apparently I’m meeting you at 7pm.

“There was no contact at all and that’s the kind of endless spinning and manoeuvring that we could do without.”

He said he had met Tánaiste Joan Burton last week and “we had a very cordial exchange which was much different to the presentation today”, he said of Ms Burton’s criticism of the Fianna Fáil leader and party.

He warned that “it would be important for the conduct of discussions into the future that “the briefings have to stop Taoiseach. The briefings and manipulation of opinion has to stop if there’s to be any reasonable prospect of moving things forward.”

He added that there had to be “parity of esteem and respect” for everyone in the Dáil.

Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald said she believed the process of creating a government could be completed in days rather than weeks, with the right approach and she said most people would welcome the language that people would put the interests of the country rather than the party first.

Fine Gael is also to hold a parliamentary party meeting today at 11am to discuss the proposals.