Independent Alliance members expect that TD Sean Canney will leave the political group after a spat over whether he or colleague Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran holds the title of junior minister.

Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald could spare the country an unnecessary general election if she resigned, Fianna Fáil said yesterday.

With the vote for Taoiseach called for today, attention has already swung as to who will occupy the 15 cabinet seats and what ministries they will occupy.

Will the independents support Fine Gael?

Senior Fine Gael ministers have suggested that talks on forming a government will begin in earnest with Fianna Fáil after tomorrow’s vote on nominating a taoiseach.

Independent Alliance leader Shane Ross has strongly defended calling Enda Kenny a potential “political corpse”.

With such a large number of sitting TDs now ousted from Leinster House, the 32nd Dáil will be spattered with unfamiliar and fresh faces.

The country's second youngest TD, Simon Harris, is to be appointed to the high profile position of Junior Finance Minister in a reshuffle to be announced this afternoon.

A loosening of the party whip system and allowing individual TDs to vote with their conscience on laws would be bad for stability and therefore bad for investment, the Taoiseach told the Dáil.

A loosening of the party whip system and allowing individual TDs to vote with their conscience on laws would be bad for stability and therefore bad for investment, the Taoiseach told the Dáil.

The final Dáil vote saw 31 TDs oppose the X case legislation as numbers were swelled by left-wing deputies protesting that the new law was not liberal enough.

Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin has told Fine Gael TDs he will further cut the bill for public sector worker allowances.

Labour’s Brendan Howlin, the public expenditure minister, is set to be invited to speak at Fine Gael’s next parliamentary party meeting after an outburst last night by TDs over the failure to cut workers allowances.

Farmers and self-employed people can “manipulate their income” so that their children are eligible for college grants, Labour Party chairman Colm Keaveney has claimed.

The country’s gone to the dogs, and a group of Fine Gael TDs are planning to follow the pack.

SHORTLY after dawn last Saturday, the fate of fistfuls of flutters and fancies dangled as if the gates were just snapping open at the Curragh.

FOUR Fine Gael TDs including finance spokesman Michael Noonan are continuing to claim ministerial pensions despite a claim by the party last April that all sitting TDs would forego the payment while still in office.

NINE defeated general election candidates were yesterday appointed to the Seanad in a line-up which produced many unexpected winners and losers.

A GALWAY community is facing transport chaos as more than 30 places on a school bus have been lost for the coming term.