Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said former party strategist Frank Flannery is still a friend of his, despite a bitter parting of the ways earlier this year.

Mr Flannery resigned as director of elections and trustee with Fine Gael last March following political controversy over his role as a board member with the Rehab Group.

In an interview with political correspondents Mr Kenny was asked if he would miss the support of Mr Flannery and EU commissioner Phil Hogan at the time of the next election.

“I always regard Frank Flannery as a friend of mine, and he still is. You know friends can differ over different things now and again. There are always opportunities for people to give of their best,” said Mr Kenny. “So if I meet Frank Flannery in the street . . . I will have a chat with him and a cup of coffee, why wouldn’t I?”

Rural development

He also said he had a meeting with Mr Hogan lined up before Christmas. “I want to talk to him about the Rural Development Programme. It is a €2.5 billion programme here over the next few years. It is important for him to be able to say we are not going to have this strangled in bureaucracy. This is important for Ireland.”

Mr Kenny said he had adopted a new strategy in advance of the next general election to give TDs greater involvement in the process. "I have changed the electoral strategy to involve the parliamentary party, the chairman of the parliamentary party and the executive council, all under the stewardship of Frances Fitzgerald, the Minister for Justice."

He said preparation would begin next year for the 2016 general election.

Asked about the criticism of his leadership style by Waterford TD John Deasy, Mr Kenny said he had read about lots of criticism in newspapers. "This is not a party of Yes-people, and I don't live in a world where people only tell you nice things. You have to deal with hard issues and very straight talk . . . and we encourage that in Fine Gael," he said.

Mr Kenny said he met Fine Gael TDs as a matter of routine. “But more importantly I engage directly with people outside, and that’s part of what we want to do for 2015, with the Ministers and Ministers of State, because they [the public] need to see them in the constituencies, they need to engage with them and hear about their programmes and strategies, and what they are doing in their Departments, and I suppose, on the odd occasion, what they might do in their constituencies for them,” said Mr Kenny.