The parliamentary parties of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will meet today to discuss the draft programme for Government.
An agreement was reached between the two parties and the Regional Independent Group negotiators, including north west Kilkenny’s Michael Lowry, late yesterday evening.
Overnight Danny and Michael Healy-Rae also concluded a deal which will see them support the new Government.
The Regional Independents will take two super junior ministries in the new administration – it’s understood these will go to Galway East TD Seán Canney and Noel Grealish of Galway West, while Sligo–Leitrim TD Marian Harkin and Longford–Westmeath TD Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran are expected to take junior ministerial roles.
Independent TD Barry Heneghan says a lot has been secured by their negotiating team and while it wasn’t easy and they didn’t agree on everything, they managed to “Put aside differences and always had the Irish people at the centre of our formation”.
Meanwhile, hopes are still high of a ministerial role for the Carlow Kilkenny constituency after it secured three seats for Fianna Fáil and one for Fine Gael in teh General Election alongside Sinn Féin retaining the one vacated by now MEP Kathleen Funchion.
