Enda Kenny is expected to be elected taoiseach today, a full 70 days after the general election. He will appoint at least three Independent TDs to the cabinet with a further three Independents being appointed junior ministers.
There was still confusion last night about how many Independents will support Mr Kenny in the vote for taoiseach today but Fine Gael remained confident that all six members of the Independent Alliance will support his nomination.
Some members of the Rural Alliance will also vote for Mr Kenny but Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath and Cork South-West TD Michael Collins are not expected to be among them.
More time
Mr Kenny’s decision to proceed with a vote on the nomination of taoiseach today angered some members of the Rural Alliance, who said they wanted more time to negotiate.
However, as he believed almost all of their concerns had been addressed, Mr Kenny decided to go ahead.
Attempts were still being made by Fine Gael negotiators last night to persuade some of the uncommitted Independents to back Mr Kenny but party sources expressed confidence that they will have more than the required 58 votes to ensure his election.
The Dáil will meet at noon today with the first item on the agenda the election of a taoiseach. If Mr Kenny is elected he will go to Áras an Uachtaráin to receive his seal of office from President Michael D Higgins.
He will return to Leinster House and formally select his cabinet before leading them into the Dáil.
The new ministers will take over their departments on Monday. One of the few certainties regarding the new cabinet is that Michael Noonan will return as Minister for Finance.
It is unlikely Mr Kenny will implement a pledge to appoint women to half of the cabinet positions but it is expected that he will appoint at least five to senior posts, a record number.
The programme for partnership negotiated between Fine Gael and the Independents gives a commitment to additional spending of €1.3 billion every year for the next five years.
The agreement also pledges to increase spending on public services by €6.75 billion by 2021 compared with 2016. However, government commitments already made will cost an extra €3.58 billion per year within five years, meaning the additional spending in the programme is about €3.18 billion.
One of the innovations in the programme is the establishment of a court to deal with mortgage arrears and other personal insolvency cases.
Public pay
Garda numbers will be increased to 15,000 while a public pay commission will be established to examine the pay of public sector workers.
The old age pension, the living alone allowance and the minimum wage will increase.
The concerns of individual TDs including Finian McGrath and John Halligan about the allocation of extra resources for health services in their constituencies have been met.
A national plan for primary care, a priority for Dr Michael Harty of Clare, is part of the programme, as are new rules governing judicial appointments, a priority for Shane Ross.
