Government talks continue as poll shows lack of support for Lowry’s inclusion

By Cillian Sherlock, PA

Government formation talks continued on Sunday following Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s engagement with independents.

Party figures are hoping to have a draft agreement ready by midweek, ahead of the process of ratifying the deal with their respective memberships.

However, having everything agreed before the return of the Dáil on January 22nd is considered “tight”.

A Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks poll showed that most respondents were at least somewhat satisfied with a Government consisting of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and regional independents.

Twenty-three percent were very satisfied, 32 per cent were somewhat satisfied, 15 per cent were somewhat unsatisfied while 29 per cent were very unsatisfied with that composition.

However, one potential headache for Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil is the decision of the Regional Independent Group to include Michael Lowry in its negotiating bloc.

Most respondents to the poll said Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael should not be dealing with the independent TD.

Last year, Mr Lowry was interviewed by gardaí from the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) who are investigating matters related to the Moriarty Tribunal.

The tribunal was set up in 1997 to examine payments made to former taoiseach Charles Haughey and Mr Lowry.

In 2011, it found that Mr Lowry, a former Fine Gael TD, helped businessman Denis O’Brien secure the State’s second mobile phone licence in 1995.

The tribunal also criticised his behaviour as “profoundly corrupt”.

Recently, gardaí sent a file relating to its investigations around the findings of the tribunal to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Mr Lowry has maintained that there was no wrongdoing in the awarding of the phone licence.

On the question of whether Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil should be dealing with Mr Lowry, 63 per cent of respondents to the poll said no while 24 per cent said yes.