Review of confidence and supply could be done in a very short time

WORKING in tandem is not something that comes naturally to Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. That’s why they needed to create a rule book to ensure the minority Government survived the past two-and-ahalf years.

Few people believed they would stay within the boundaries set out in the confidence and supply arrangement – but for the most part they did.

Last night, both sides exchanged notes on how it has gone. Fine Gael helpfully broke these into three simple columns: what was promised; progress report; and commentary. It looked like the report cards a child brings home from primary school.

Fianna Fáil wants something a lot more detailed in a bid to justify what it achieved by keeping Enda Kenny and Leo Varadkar in power.

Sources in Micheál Martin’s party believe it could take weeks to review the existing seven-page document, and only then can they move on the future relationship.

In truth, the review could be done in a week, maybe less – and here’s why.

The hardest part related to water charges. Two whole pages outlined proposals for ending the toxic debate.

Water charges have been dealt with successfully so tick those two pages off the review list immediately.

Then there were the “core principles” agreed. Fianna Fáil had to abstain on the election of ministers and allow budgets to pass. Check.

It did breach this section once though, when it threatened to vote ‘no confidence’ in Frances Fitzgerald, thereby forcing her resignation from office.

On the other side, the Government ticked most boxes but has not facilitated Opposition bills in the way that was envisaged.

And it has overcome a commitment to “publish all agreements with Independent deputies” such as Michael Lowry by having ‘verbal understandings’ instead of written deals. Sneaky, but not enough to derail the renewal talks.

On the economy, the key promise was to introduce budgets with a 2:1 split in favour of spending over tax cuts. This was achieved.

Money has also been set aside for Fianna Fáil’s ‘rainy day fund’ next year.

Likewise, the two parties have lived up to most commitments under the ‘industrial relations and public sector pay’ and the ‘creating decent jobs and supporting enterprise’ sections.

The only actual figure quoted in the original deal was to ring-fence €15m for the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). The budget for the NTPF next year is €75m.

Reductions in class sizes, a childcare subsidy and increased Garda numbers have all been done.

That leaves housing where the Government has failed abysmally to “significantly” increase social housing and “remove barriers to private housing supply”.

Some progress has been made but clearly nothing close to enough.

So that’s the shorthand review. The parties can now move on to talking about Brexit and broadband.