Policing reform is set to be a central plank for Fianna Fáil in programme for government negotiations, with a tussle over the justice portfolio expected in coalition talks with Fine Gael.
Fianna Fáil emphasised justice issues during the general election campaign, indicating it would be interested in pursuing the portfolio and saying the area needs a fresh approach with Fine Gael having held the ministry for 14 years.
Sources say the party is keen to put a focus on community policing and visibility. Fianna Fáil proposed an overhaul of Garda recruitment structures during the campaign, including a graduate entry scheme for the force.
The party is also expected to target an overhaul of supports for working families, which would move beyond one-off payments to structural changes. Party TDs want to bring in support for working families outside the welfare system, in particular increased spending on affordable housing.
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While some in Fianna Fáil emphasised that no detailed discussions have taken place, there are misgivings in the party about moving forward with Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris’s plan for a department of infrastructure.
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One Fianna Fáil source questioned whether it would end up delaying projects in some areas, citing the Department of Education in particular, which already has a unit dedicated to delivering new buildings.
There is growing acceptance that a rotating taoiseach’s position will be part of a Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael deal, although sources in the former said this was down to party leader Micheál Martin’s desire for stability rather than an eagerness to secure Fine Gael’s participation.
A Fianna Fáil TD argued that housing policy should shift from the “more market-led approach” of Fine Gael, while disabilities reform and the addition of multidisciplinary reform teams in schools, which Mr Martin labelled a “red-line” issue during the campaign, are also expected to be a focus.
[ Eight Independent TDs banding together to form Regional Group in DáilOpens in new window ]
Fianna Fáil’s negotiating team will be led by deputy leader Jack Chambers, joined by James Browne, Mary Butler, James Lawless, Norma Foley and Darragh O’Brien. Fine Gael’s team will be led by deputy leader Helen McEntee, with Paschal Donohoe also a key member. Mr Harris said Fine Gael would have a “pivotal role” in the formation of an administration.
Speaking after his party’s TDs met at Leinster House yesterday, Mr Martin said the election result, where his party took 48 seats, 10 more than Fine Gael, must be reflected in the composition and policies of the next government. He said he had engaged with Independent deputies to sound them out in advance of coalition formation talks.
A group of eight Independent TDs are combining to form a group designed to maximise their speaking rights in the Dáil. The so-called technical group includes several who have expressed publicly a willingness to enter talks on supporting a Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael coalition.
[ Who are the Independent TDs and what price their support?Opens in new window ]
The latest exchequer returns show a further €6 billion of Apple tax money flowed in last month, swelling Government coffers to a record €99 billion for the year to date. An unprecedented €25 billion surplus is forecast this year due to the Apple tax funds but the latest figures suggest this could be exceeded, placing the incoming administration in a strong financial position.
But even against this backdrop, the State’s budgetary watchdog warned that Government budget policy has “lost its anchor” with spending on a potentially unsustainable trajectory.
In its latest assessment report, the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council said while inflation has eased net spending was now growing rapidly — by a projected 8 per cent this year and next. Net of inflation this is double the economy’s projected growth rate over the medium term and, from the council’s perspective, unsustainable.
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