AONTÚ’S TWO TDS are to latest to join a Dáil technical grouping as talks to form a government ramp up.

Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín confirmed to The Journal that the party, with two TDs as of the recent election, have joined the ‘Regional Group’.

The group now consists of ten TDs, with eight Independents having agreed to register as a technical group earlier this week. Technical groups are typically formed to increase speaking time for its members in the Dáil. 

The eight Independents are Seán Canney, Marian Harkin, Barry Heneghan, Noel Grealish, Michael Lowry, Kevin (‘Boxer’) Moran, Verona Murphy and Gillian Toole.

Tóibín said that he and his party colleague, newly elected Paul Lawless, would not be negotiating government with Fine Gael or the Greens. 

Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week with Justin McCarthy, TD for Galway East Seán Canney said that while the group has been set up for speaking time, “there’s a lot of commonality within the eight Independent TDs in that group”, adding that Aontú has joined. 

“I think there’s a fair cohort my colleagues, who would be expressing an interest to get into government and to direct some of the policies that we ourselves need directed,” Canney said, when asked if the group would approach formation talks as a collective.

“I think we will be meeting with Simon Harris this week individually to see what we are doing.”

Canney has previously served as a Minister of State from 2016 t0 2017, and from 2018 to 2020. He said that he hoped that the Independent TDs within the grouping would negotiate as a bloc with party leaders, but that it’s a “courtesy” that they initially meet individually.

“We will be meeting ourselves during the week to come up with a common approach to all of this.

“But I do believe that it is important that we meet with the leaders of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael to see what their intentions are, what their priorities are going to be, and to let them know what ours are, so that we see, do we have a common ground to enter into full discussions?”

Yesterday, it was announced that Independent TDs Michael Healy-Rae, Danny Healy-Rae, and Paul Gogarty had joined forces with Independent Ireland TDs to form an Independent Technical Group in the next Dáil.

Leader of Independent Ireland, Michael Collins, said that the ‘Independent Technical Group’ is currently in discussions with other Independents who may join the grouping before the commencement of the next Dáil.

Fianna Fáil secured the largest number of seats of any party in this election with 48 candidates elected. Sinn Féin is the second largest on 39, and just one seat behind is Fine Gael on 38.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has consistently ruled out going into a coalition with Sinn Féin, citing irrevocable differences in the parties’ plans for government, particularly in relation to housing and public finances. 

Speaking on the same radio programme today, Mary Lou McDonald said she will meet with several other party leaders over the next week, and said she hopes to meet with Micheál Martin as government formation talks continue.