EXCLUSIVE: Michael Lowry comments amidst controversy over ongoing Government formation talks

TD Michael Lowry has commented on his ongoing discussions with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael with regards to being apart of the make-up of the next government.

Speaking with Tipperary Live, Deputy Lowry has said that discussion have been going on since Thursday, January 9, which went on as late as 11:30 on Sunday night, and are ongoing today, January 13.

He said: “The factual matter is that, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, last Thursday have entered formal negotiations with the RIG. We have been in active discussions and negotiations Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and up to 11:30 last night. We’re resuming those talks now in the next ten minutes, and we have a number of areas where there are contentious issues that have yet to be decided and that’s the focus of our attention for the remainder of today.”

On those points of contention, Lowry said: “The protocol and the procedure will be that if we do come to a conclusion and agree on a policy platform, and I have to say, we’ve made significant progress in that regard, and there is a lot of commonality between what Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and ourselves are seeking and looking for in terms of inclusion in a policy programme, so I would expect that if agreement is reached in relation to a document then, it goes before our group, it goes before the Fine Gael parliamentary party, the Fianna Fail parliamentary party later this week if it’s possible to reach agreement on it, and as I’ve said, significant progress has been made, and that’s where we rest, I’m leading the negotiation on behalf of the group, my two negotiators, colleagues, are Marian Harkin and Sean Canney.

Regarding when we can expect to see the formation of the new government come to fruition, Lowry said: “There’s a desire amongst all three participants to the talks that we will be in a position to make a recommendation that a government could be formed by the 22 of January, Wednesday 22.”