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The leaders of Fianna F\u00e1il, the Green Party and Fine Gael have expressed confidence that they will today sign off on the draft agreement of a program for government.<\/p>\nThe leaders of Fianna F\u00e1il, the Green Party and Fine Gael have expressed confidence that they will today sign off on the draft agreement of a program for government.<\/p>\n
Fianna F\u00e1il leader Micheal Martin said that if the program for government is signed off later, it will represent a new departure for Irish society.<\/p>\n
The leaders of the three parties are at Government buildings to formally agree a draft program for government and to discuss outstanding issues.<\/p>\n
Speaking on his way into Government buildings, Mr Martin said that although there are outstanding issues to be resolved, he is hopeful a deal can be signed off today.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI think we can move this forward and it can represent a new departure for Irish society.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will bring transformative change to how we do things and prepare the country well for the next decade and prepare us for the economic situation that Covid-19 has created \u2013 that will take center stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if the deal would be signed off this evening, he said: \u201cThat would be our intention, yes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a program for government is finally agreed, it will go to our parliamentary party first and then there will be a vote by the membership.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar did not speak to the press on his way into the meeting.<\/p>\n
T\u00e1naiste Simon Coveney said the draft coalition government deal is \u201cgood for the country\u201d.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the way into the talks, Mr Coveney, leader of the Fine Gael negotiating team, described the text as \u201cgood for the country\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did a lot of good work last night and we effectively have a text for a government with a need for the leaders to finalize a very small number of issues,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNegotiating teams have done their job. I think the text that will be going to the leaders today is good for the country and I hope and I am confident that the three leaders will be able to sell it within their parties and to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n
Negotiators from the parties met until the early hours of the morning.<\/p>\n
Green Party TD Ossian Smyth, who is part of his party\u2019s negotiating team, tweeted on Sunday: \u201cThe three negotiating teams agreed most of a program for government this morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cA small number of issues have been left to the party leaders to decide later today. A lot of good stuff in there!\u201d<\/p>\n
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said a coalition government deal \u201cneeds to be done today\u201d<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cIt does have to be done today because we are on a tight timeline. All of our parties have rules involving our members. With the pandemic, we have to send out postal ballots so our members can vote and that takes time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are conscious that laws around the Special Criminal Court have to be looked at at the end of June.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is also an economic imperative to try and get the recovery going with a government that has a mandate to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Health Minister and Fine Gael TD Simon Harris said the public are eager for a government to be in place soon and he is hoping for a breakthrough.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there is a clear expectation that this agreement can be brought to finality.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been a long few, intense weeks of negotiations \u2013 127 days since the general election,\u201d he told RTE\u2019s Week In Politics Program.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it is reaching a point where we need to get on with it and the public need a government.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program for government could run to more than 100 pages and the details will be worked out by party leaders on Sunday.<\/p>\n
It will then have to be put to the membership of each of the three parties for consideration.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar said on Friday that he thinks a government could be in place by the end of June or early July if members accept the deal.<\/p>\n
Issues remaining include those around the pension age, Occupied Territories Bill, pensions, a ban on fracked gas imports, income tax cuts and carbon tax proposals.<\/p>\n
A Green Party source said a ban on fracked gas imports would likely see deputy leader Catherine Martin backing the deal, which could help to persuade two-thirds of its party members to approve the agreement.<\/p>\n
The Green Party has the highest bar as their rules say two-thirds of their 2,700 members must support the deal.<\/p>\n