FINE GAEL HAVE regained some ground among voters following Leo Varadkar’s return as Taoiseach, new opinion poll data shows.

New Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks polling indicates that while Sinn Féin are still the most popular party, there has been a small dip in their support compared to previous polls.

According to the opinion poll, Sinn Féin have dropped by two points to 32% while Fine Gael have increased by two points to 25%.

It follows Varadkar’s return as Taoiseach in mid-December, alongside a minimalistic Government reshuffle that introduced no new faces to Cabinet.

Fianna Fáil remains in third place at 16%, a one point drop compared to the previous opinion poll.

Meanwhile, the Green Party has seen a one point increase to 4%.

Opposition parties have shifted slightly in recent polling, with Solidarity-People Before Profit increasing by one point to 4%, while the Social Democrats have fallen by two points to 3%.

The Labour Party remains unchanged on 3%, while Aontú has also dropped by one point to 3%.

The popularity of Independent TDs has increased slightly, with a one point rise to 10% support.

The poll itself was conducted between 5 and 6 January, with a total of 1,104 respondents. The margin of error was 3%.