The draft deal for Government will mean a “very good five-years for the Irish people”, one of the independents backing it has predicted. 

The parties set to form the next Government will begin ratifying the agreement today, following an agreement between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Regional Independent Group yesterday.

Kerry TDs Michael and Danny Healy-Rae are also backing the Government.

“Things are always going to come out left, right and centre,” Dublin Bay North independent Barry Heneghan told Newstalk.

“You need to realise that nothing’s finalised until it’s finalised. 

“The Regional Group is doing everything we can to get a strong stable Government as quick as possible. 

“I’d be very happy if half of what we put together as a Programme for Government was included in the Programme for Government - it would be a very good five-years for the Irish people.”

Micheál Martin and Simon Harris. Picture by: RollingNews.ie.

Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Regional Independent Group will get sign off from its TDs and Senators first and then the two parties will send the document for approval to their membership. 

Neither is expecting any backlash against the deal - paving the way for Micheál Martin's second stint as Taoiseach from next Wednesday.

Despite this, Deputy Heneghan said negotiations were not always easy. 

“It’s a diverse group of people,” he said. 

“I think that’s what independents really add to the table is they’re not a hivemind of a party. 

“It’s a group of individual people representing different areas, different experiences. 

“I’m not going to say it was all easy, we didn’t agree on everything but we met, we put aside differences and always had the Irish people at the centre of our formation.” 

TDs have agreed in the draft deal that the VAT rate for hospitality will return to 9%.

Main image: Split of Government Buildings and Barry Heneghan. Pictures by: Alamy.com