Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has apologised for having 'leaky ministers', saying he'll make sure to have fewer of them if in government again.
It comes amid criticism of ministers anonymously commenting to media about a number of issues, including government formation talks.
'Senior government sources' are quoted in The Irish Examiner as saying the odds of the current government formation talks succeeding are "less than 50:50" due to divisions within the Green Party.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin told Newstalk Breakfast this morning said such leaks were 'unhelpful'.
Speaking to The Pat Kenny Show, Leo Varadkar said he agreed with Deputy Martin.
He said: "Once again I have to apologise for some of my leaky ministers.
"I’ll try and make sure I have less leaky ministers next time if I have the opportunity to appoint ministers again."
Mr Varadkar said government formation talks have now got underway between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Greens - but they're still open to the Social Democrats and Labour to join.
The Taoiseach said he doesn't yet know if the government formation process will succeed.
He said: “The key test for me and people in our party is can we come up with a programme for government that’s in the interests of the country that’s realistic and helps get us through this help crisis - get people back to work, businesses open again, and the economy humming again.
“This is an unprecedented situation politically as well as in terms of the history of our country."
Mr Varadkar pointed to some commentators who've noted that no negotiations for a programme for government in the State's history have started "without finishing successfully".
He explained: “There’s always been a deal at the end, and that deal has always been ratified by the parties involved in the Dáil - but things that we believed to always be true up until the last few weeks have turned out to be different.
“I don’t know for certain [if the talks will succeed], but I can assure you the Fine Gael party has entered into these talks in good faith."
Elsewhere, Mr Varadkar reiterated that the pandemic unemployment payment and wage subsidy scheme will continue beyond mid-June.
He said that while the schemes “can’t last forever”, withdrawing them will have to be done in a gradual way.
He explained: “You would do it as businesses have the opportunity to reopen and as people have the opportunity to get their jobs back. Bear in mind you lose the payment if you don’t take your job back, if you are offered it.
“In some cases that may not arise until August, so it will need to be extended beyond the middle of June."
He said that while the exact details of how the schemes will continue haven't been worked out yet, the Government will make their plans clear before the end of May.
