Fianna Fail and Fine Gael on collision course over coalition cabinet shake-up
Major overhauls could see merging of housing and transport departments while health may split, writes Philip Ryan
FIANNA Fail and Fine Gael are set to clash on how health and housing should be addressed by the next government.
The two parties, which signed off on a historic coalition deal last week, have opposing views on how the next cabinet should address the two key issues.
Fine Gael wants to create a new super department, incorporating housing and transport, which would oversee major infrastructure projects.
However, a senior Fianna Fail TD yesterday dismissed the proposal, saying the focus should be on housing.
Meanwhile, Fianna Fail sources have suggested breaking up the Department of Health but this has been rejected by Fine Gael as “counter-productive”.
Under plans being developed by senior Fine Gael figures, the housing and transport portfolios would work alongside each other in a similar way to the Department of Finance and Department of Public Expenditure.
It is hoped the amalgamation of housing and transport would allow for more integrated urban and rural planning.
It would also mean the Land Development Agency and National Transport Authority were answerable to the same department.
The proposal is a central plank of Fine Gael’s plans for the next government and the party wants to offer the Green Party the transport portfolio in the new cabinet.
A Fine Gael source involved in developing the idea said housing and transport will be “two sides of the same coin”.
“There will be a fusion of the role of transport infrastructure and housing infrastructure because you can’t do what we want to do in housing if it doesn’t coincide with what we are going to do in transport,” the source said.
However, a senior Fianna Fail TD yesterday dismissed the proposal, saying the focus should be on housing.
“Housing can just integrate planning guidelines that can cater for transport policy — that’s how it’s supposed to be,” the source said.
Meanwhile, it has emerged Fianna Fail could look to split the Department of Health and create a new Department of Community and Social Care.
The new department would focus on community care while the Department of Health would be responsible for acute hospital care.
However, a senior Fine Gael figure said splitting the Department of Health would be a “bad idea”.
“It’s all part of one system that needs to be more or less integrated,” the source said.
Another Fine Gael source said: “Slaintecare is all about what you do in the community and what you do in the hospital so I think that is a lot less likely than it would have been a few years ago.”
Consideration is also being given to merging the Department of Communications with the Department of Culture, while making climate change a stand-alone portfolio.
The debate over cabinet positions comes as Fianna Fail and Fine Gael prepare to give briefings on the policy framework document to smaller parties and independent TDs.
Fianna Fail deputy leader
Dara Calleary and Fine Gael counterpart Simon Coveney have organised meetings with TDs interested in entering into government.
The smaller political parties and groupings have sought more information on the costings on their policy proposals for the next government. Yesterday, Green Party finance spokesperson Neasa Hourigan said there was a “lot of good stuff” in the Fianna Fail and Fine Gael agreement but added that the Green Party party would be seeking “properly costed time-tabled policy”.
However, Ms Hourigan said the document contained few of the policies that her party had previously discussed with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.
The Labour Party has agreed to review the document over the weekend before responding.
The Social Democrats submitted a series of economic queries to Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe.
However, it is not expected the Department of Finance will be in a position to publish an economic outlook on the impact of the coronavirus for at least two weeks.
The Regional Technical Group will meet tomorrow to discuss the outcome of their meeting with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael to decide their next move.
Independent TDs Michael Fitzmaurice and Marian Harkin, along with Michael McNamara, are also expected to meet Fianna Fail and Fine Gael tomorrow.
There are concerns among independent TDs that none of the smaller parties will enter into coalition with the two larger parties, meaning there will be no pathway to forming a stable government.
“If this happens, Fianna Fail will have to talk to Sinn Fein because Varadkar said he will not go into government without a third party,” a TD said.
‘There will be a fusion of the role of transport infrastructure and housing infrastructure’