Final deal between parties unlikely until later this month

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are working towards putting a deal for a minority government to Independents early next week, but expect that a final pact will not be ready until later this month.

Binding reviews of a pact between the two parties and how they will interact are expected to form part of a document that could be completed by Monday. This will be the structure under which a minority government could work.

The two sides will only then negotiate policy differences, including over water charges and the future of the universal social charge.