Micheál Martin has said his party will continue to honour the supply and confidence agreement it reached with Fine Gael last year, irrespective of whether there is a change of Fine Gael leader.
"We have said this consistently, the confidence and supply agreement is a principle and policy-based agreement – it's focused on the policies and principles that we have agreed in the supply deal and we think it's time now to create a bit of stability," the Fianna Fáil leader said.
Speaking in Cork where he was giving a lecture at UCC on the challenge facing local government, Mr Martin said the fact that agreement could be reached on establishing an inquiry into the Maurice McCabe whistleblower controversy indicated how the parties could make progress on the issue.
Whistleblower inquiry
“We welcome the establishment of the tribunal of inquiry – the fact that there was no vote is evidence of the kind of progress we can make and hopefully we can get answers to the questions that have been raised and vindicate the integrity of Maurice McCabe.”
However Mr Martin was reluctant to be drawn on whether he had any concerns that if there was to be a change of Fine Gael leader, the new leader might decide to go to the country to obtain a new mandate in a general election.
"Fine Gael' s internal operations are a matter for Fine Gael and I am not going there ," said Mr Martin before delivering his address to the Centre for Local and Regional Governance on the need to modernise local government in Ireland.
