PD deputy says he has not done any deal with FF

PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS TD Noel Grealish has said it is "more than likely" he will become an Independent after the party closes down early next year, and he will not be joining Fianna Fáil.

The Galway West deputy had been in informal discussions with Fianna Fáil about joining its ranks. However, he has always maintained he has never made any firm deal with his party's partners in Government.

Speculation about Mr Grealish's future with the PDs had been attributed to speeding up the demise of the party, which had pledged to continue until after next year's local elections despite its poor performance in the 2006 general election.

Reports of Mr Grealish's plans to leave the party began in early September. He neither corroborated nor denied rumours that he planned to join Fianna Fáil.

Following a parliamentary party meeting in mid-September, it was announced that the PDs were no longer viable. Mr Grealish then said he had no formal agreement with Fianna Fáil, but believed the PDs were no longer politically viable.

This month, at a special meeting in Mullingar, members voted to dissolve the party. They also voted to empower the PD national executive to begin winding down the party.

The executive met last week to discuss what was involved. It will need to consider how it will deal with staff and how to handle national and constituency finances.

Once all the issues are resolved, party chairman Peter Wyer will write to the clerk of the Dáil to have the party's name removed from the register of parties, which will officially close the party down.

It is understood this is unlikely to happen until February.

Mr Grealish said yesterday he would be spending the rest of this week consulting PD councillors in Galway. He would be speaking to them about their future and getting their views on where they should go after the party closes.

"They are all excellent councillors and I will be supporting them and helping them in any role I can."

He said he would remain a member of the PDs until the party officially folded, but had not definitively decided what he would do afterwards. It was "more than likely" he would become an Independent TD, at least until after the local elections.

PD Senator Fiona O'Malley said she had spoken to friends in the Green Party and to people of all different persuasions about her future. "I am very keen to continue in politics, but I'm not going to rush into anything."