The leaders of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party will meet today to discuss the ongoing government formation talks.

Today marks 100 days since the General Election with no new government in place.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael and Fine Fáil found themselves caught up in a war of words over the weekend after it emerged Government officials are examining ways to hold an election amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Ballot papers are counted at the RDS in Dublin during the Irish General Election count. Niall Carson/PA Wire/PA Images

A number of Fianna Fáil representatives reacted angrily to the news, with Offaly TD Barry Cowen tweeting that the move “smacks of bad faith, selfishness and putting party before country.”

The party’s education spokesperson Thomas Byrne also hit out at the plans.

Fine Gael insisted the Department of Housing was only doing its job by “planning for all eventualities” and warned that the Fianna Fáil criticism “was unwarranted and has damaged the talks process.”

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Fine Gael parliamentary party chairman Martin Heydon accused Fianna Fáil of over-reacting.

“You could argue the thin skin is maybe more on the Fianna Fáil side on this one,” he said.

“The facts of this story are that civil servants in a State department who have responsibility for managing and running elections, referendums and by-elections were scenario planning about what would happen or how things would have to be done differently if an election was to happen during a pandemic.”

Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar and parliamentary party chairman Martin Heydon at City Assembly House in Dublin, 10-01-2020. Image: Sam Boal/RollingNews

He claimed it is “probably not possible” for Fine Gael to communicate everything that is happening behind the scenes to Fianna Fáil.

“With all the different plans that have to be put in place, I can see quite easily how this could have been something that happened that was not seen to be a certainty that was going to happen, it was just smart work to be done and I can see how that would not have been communicated.

“We have a job as the lead party of the outgoing Government and we take that role very seriously and I would say it is probably not possible to cover every eventuality and make sure we communicate everything across the line.”

He insisted that if the party was thinking about a general election the party itself would be making plans.

Speaking to On The Record with Gavan Reilly yesterday, the Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said we are heading in to a ‘critical’ week for the talks and warned that the public ‘would not look too kindly’ on anyone pushing for a new election in the current climate.

He again voiced hope that the process could be completed by the end of the month or early June.

Negotiators form all three parties will meet again this morning to continue the talks, which are expected to focus on the housing crisis today.

Climate change, defence, foreign affairs and local government are on the agenda for later in the week.