FINE GAEL IS on course to be the largest party in the next Dáil, according to a new poll, with independents seeing a rise in their support.

The latest Irish Times/Ipsos B&A poll has suggested that Simon Harris’s party is on 25 percent, ahead of Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin who are both on 19 percent.

Fine Gael has lost support by two percentage points and Sinn Féin is down by one. Fianna Fáil is unchanged.

But the main shift in the poll came in support for independent candidates, up by four points to 20 percent. The Irish Times said the poll included Independent Ireland – the political party formed last year by TDs Michael Collins and Richard O’Donoghue – as part of this grouping.

Among the smaller parties, the Green Party has fallen by two percent to stand at three points. Labour is at five percent (down one), the Social Democrats four percent (no change), People Before Profit-Solidarity two percent (no change) and Aontú three percent (up two).

Meanwhile, half of voters (50 per cent) told pollsters that they believe the country is generally going in the wrong direction, but there was an increase in the proportion of voters saying that the country is generally going in the right direction. That last figure was up by five percentage points to 42 per cent.

The margin of error for the poll is estimated at plus or minus 2.8 per cent. A total of 1,200 people were interviewed face-to-face for the poll according to the newspaper.