Talks between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil on reviewing and possibly extending the confidence-and-supply deal will resume next week after the parties took part in a five-hour session, dominated by health policy, on Thursday.
The meeting was the first substantive session between the two parties after a preliminary engagement last week. Fianna Fáil is insisting on a review of the agreement which underpins the Fine Gael-led minority government, while Fine Gael is keen to move on to negotiations on extending the deal.
A joint statement from both parties after the meeting in Agriculture House, near Leinster House on Dublin’s Kildare Street, said the discussions had a “particular emphasis on the health sector”.
Fianna Fáil has said it wants the review to particularly focus on health, including overspending in the health service, and on other issues such as housing and rural broadband.
"The discussions in the afternoon included a presentation from the secretary-general of the Department of Health, " the statement added. "There will be continued engagement early next week."
Both parties have agreed not to comment publicly on the talks while they are ongoing.
Health policy performance
Sources suggested that Jim Breslin, secretary-general of the Department of Health, outlined the policy performance in the area of health – such as trolley numbers and mental health services – over four hours.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has suggested that the parties should agree to extend the current arrangement – which effectively ends when the legislation giving effect to the budget, the Finance and Social Welfare Bills, passes through the Oireachtas – until summer 2020.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has countered that they should agree not to collapse the Government until a Brexit withdrawal agreement is ratified by the British House of Commons and the European Parliament, a process which would take the deal up to next March.
The Fine Gael team is comprised of Tánaiste Simon Coveney, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty and Martin Heydon, the chair of the Fine Gael parliamentary party. Brian Murphy, Mr Varadkar’s chief of staff, is also taking part in the talks.
The Fianna Fáil team is led by Dara Calleary, the deputy leader, with finance spokesman Michael McGrath, Brexit spokeswoman Lisa Chambers and Charlie McConalogue, the agriculture spokesman, also taking part, as is Deirdre Gillane, Mr Martin’s chef de cabinet.
