Creighton: weekend's Reform Alliance conference not about new party

Lucinda Creighton said she wants politicians to be "in the background for a change" at the Reform Alliance conference this weekend.

The one-day event at Dublin's RDS will discuss reform in the areas of the economy and health, and the former junior minister wants to see exchanges between experts on the panels and members of the audience.

She is insisting the gathering is not about deciding whether to become a new political party, and the only ones talking about that are the media.

Deputy Creighton says that's not what the Reform Alliance is about:

"We're at a point in Irish history where less people are committed to or inclined to vote for the established political parties than ever before," he said.

"But that doesn’t mean, necessarily, that a new party has to take their place.

"It's easy to be dismissive, it's easy to be cynical - I've heard a lot of it in the last few weeks - but, you know, we're trying to do something new."