Following Fine Gael's refusal to take part in the upcoming election debates on TV3, presenter Vincent Browne joined Mick Clifford and Jonathan Healy to discuss. Fine Gael also issued the following statement outlining their reasoning for not taking part:

'Members of the Fine Gael parliamentary party are always very willing to appear on media, including TV3, to discuss and debate the issues of the day and do so on a daily basis. Our focus in Government over the next 15 months is to work relentlessly to fulfil the mandate given to us by the people to secure Ireland's recovery. Our priority is to concentrate on this work. This is not the time for election debates - 15 months away from an election. It should also be pointed out that very few parties, including Fine Gael, have chosen their election candidates yet, as the election is 15 months away. Fine Gael did not confirm the participation of any representatives in these debates. We look forward to our continued good working relationship with all in TV3 and we will continue to engage in general political debate day in day out until the end of the government’s term. '

You can listen back to the full interview below: