Talks on deal between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael concluding, TDs say

Talks on extending the confidence and supply deal are concluding and a report will be given to the Fianna Fáil party in the coming days, party TDs have said.

The deal, brokered between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael following the 2016 general election, keeps the minority Fine Gael-led Government in power. Under the deal (read the full text of the deal here) Fianna Fáil agrees to support the Government by abstaining in Dáil votes including budgets.

The arrangement is currently under review by both parties.

Fianna Fáil defence spokesman Jack Chambers said he expected to be briefed on the next steps imminently.

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“The talks at present are concluding and the negotiating teams have engaged in a review process over a number of weeks. So we expect them to report perhaps in the coming days around the outcome of those talks and we look forward to being briefed.”

Talks on extending the confidence and supply deal have been continuing over the last number of weeks.

“An extension will all depend on the outcome of the review talks and the conclusion of them. I think it is important not to prejudice the process that has been undertaken between the two parties,” he said.

Fianna Fáil TD Fiona O’Loughlin said she expected the parliamentary party to discuss any plan and next steps.

“That has been a very substantive review, going through all of the different elements, all of the different departments, looking at policies to see what did work and what did not work. The negotiating team that have been working on behalf of Fianna Fáil will be coming back obviously to the party leader and to us as a parliamentary party to discuss that process and to evaluate where it is and see where we take the next steps,” she said.

Fianna Fáil Health Spokesman Stephen Donnelly said the party would need to discuss the issue privately before making a final decision.

“The team has been in this review for the last four or five weeks. It is something we have to discuss privately as a party first.

“My understanding is we will be briefed in the coming days. There is a lot of information that the team has, they have had decent access to the civil service, they will need a bit of team to pull it together, so let’s see how things progress.”