Waterford TDs key to Government formation talks

Two recently elected Waterford TDs will be at the table during the government negotiations between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

With both government party negotiating teams having been revealed yesterday, Minister of State Mary Butler of Fianna Fáil and new TD John Cummins will be on opposite sides of the table.

The Fianna Fáil contingent is being led by Minister Jack Chambers, who is being joined by Minister of Education Norma Foley and Minister of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh Brien. Ministers of State James Lawless, James Browne and the Déise’s Mary Butler will round out the largest Leinster House party.

In a statement to waterford-news.ie, Minister Butler said, “I’m honoured to be appointed to the Fianna Fáil negotiations team by An Tanaiste Micheál Martin. We have an important job to do over the next number of weeks to ensure a government is formed and stability is provided for the country.

“Government formation is not easy," she said and noted that it is "not a forgone conclusion by any means".

"Many challenges and difficulties can arise during negotiations. We need to be honest with people about that. We won’t take anything for granted and my focus is on policy and getting on with the job of finalising a comprehensive Programme for Government. The job at hand is to establish a shared policy platform with other like-minded parties, groups or individuals from which we can form a Government that will go the full term. Obviously, we’re determined to get the majority of the work done before Christmas. The Tanaiste had been clear on that."

“The outgoing Government worked very well together. The people have seen that, and they’ve endorsed us for another term. It’s clear they think they’re better off with a stable Government led by Fianna Fáil and Micheál Martin as Taoiseach. The result of the election is very clear in my mind. The majority of people have voted for stability. They believe in our housing plan. They believe in our management of the State’s finances and our stewardship of the economy."

The Fine Gael team will be led by the party’s deputy leader and Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, alongside Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe and John Cummins, TD for Waterford.

Ministers of State Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Martin Heydon will complete the team along with John Paul O’Shea, TD for Cork North West.

Deputy Cummins described his participation in the negotiating team as “an honour”.

“I am very grateful for the opportunity, and I look forward to negotiating in good faith with other parties and deputies with a view to forming a strong and stable government for the next five years.”

“As we face into potential[ly] choppy waters from an international economic perspective, the need for a strong and stable government has never been more important and as mandated by our parliamentary party, we will now enter government formation discussions. I believe we have a strong team that can deliver for the people of Ireland”.