Doherty: Sinn Féin meets senior civil servants to discuss programme for Government

Sinn Féin is changing tack on its Government formation negotiations by meeting officials from State departments, its chief negotiator Pearse Doherty has said.

Mr Doherty said party leader Mary Lou McDonald had met with Martin Fraser, Secretary-General of the Department of the Taoiseach, with discussions set to continue with a number of other departments as the party begins “the process of transforming our manifesto into a programme for Government”.

Speaking with the rest of the negotiating team at Government buildings yesterday, Mr Doherty said that those discussions with departments will begin by focusing on “key issues around housing, health, and preparing for Irish unity”.

He said that the party will next be stepping up its negotiations with independent TDs and smaller parties, the start of a process “that will last for a couple of days”.

The Donegal TD added that in meeting with Government departments the party is seeking to make sure “we have the information available to us to advance those discussions as we now get into the policy details of compatibility or areas where there may be non-compatibility”.

“This is Sinn Féin intensifying talks. We have other parties saying that they won’t talk to this party or that party. For our part we are just getting on with business using the resources that are available to us to make sure that our type of programme for Government is deliverable,” he said.

Mr Doherty said key to the party’s approach is “urgency in relation to housing prices and the health crisis” so that Sinn Féin’s plans are “deliverable in the timeframe that we want it delivered”.

“People can’t sit back for two or three months for parties to decide to finish the shadowboxing and playacting that’s happening,” Mr Doherty said.

“We will talk to anybody that is up for the type of change that we believe that the people gave us a mandate for.”