Leo Varadkar told his party's special conference that 70% of Fine Gael's candidates for the next local elections had been selected and the rest would be picked by Christmas

Under the current system, the parliamentary party accounts for 65% of the vote, while ordinary members contribute 25% and councillors 10%

Sources said they believe Colm Burke 'would be open' to being added to the ticket if the party asks.

Both lost out in 2020 general election

At the party ard fheis in the Athlone-based Technological University Shannonside (TUS), there was standing room only

The Fine Gael representative has confirmed that she will not seek reelection next June

The senator said: 'I just don’t see how you would be motivated to rebuild the party in opposition.'

Simon Harris keen to 'keep populists out of government'

Taoiseach also rules out forming a voting pact among the Coalition parties

Revenue issued guidance in July that proposes treating income under the GMS Scheme as individual income and GPs will be taxed accordingly

Fine Gael's director of elections and general secretary recently held individual meetings with senators, stoking speculation that a general election may be called earlier than expected next year

It comes amid intense speculation around Leinster House in recent weeks over whether Mr Varadkar will remain on as leader of Fine Gael after the next election

Michael Ring says plans by roads minister Jack Chambers to increase punishment were unconstitutional

Getting the balance right will define the next Dáil, but ultimately that will be decided by the electorate

During a debate on RTÉ's Budget 2024 broadcast, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn said his party colleague Pearse Doherty would 'put manners' on Dún Laoghaire TD, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill 

Ministers Michael McGrath and Paschal Donohoe may be working together on an overall package of €6.4bn, but this year both men will be acutely aware that they must set themselves apart

Mary Lou McDonald’s party has published a decidedly centre-ground list of spending and tax options, that bar a few exceptions, Micheál Martin could easily stomach

One reader says our fundamental problem is not a shortage of housing, while others consider topics including the National Gender Service, and pay and conditions in the Defence Forces 

A source said the meeting will be an opportunity to 'shape ideas' for the budget, due to be delivered October 10, and that it was unlikely any specific measures will be discussed in detail

The Ploughing allows politicians to break free from the political bubble and meet people from all walks of life

With two more days to go yet at one of Ireland’s biggest festivals, there will be more politicking, more debates on nitrates and more people caked in muck

Has the Fine Gael leader lost the room, asks Tadgh McNally

Niceties came to an abrupt halt with the Sinn Féin leader criticising the Government response to the housing crisis, likely to be a key focus of attack as election campaigning intensifies

Heather Humphreys also said she wants to introduce the auto-enrolment pension system by the middle of next year

Fine Gael TD was treated in hospital for cardiac issues in March and is still out on sick leave

Mr Varadkar, who almost a decade ago said he planned to step down from politics by the time he was 51, also said he has at least one, if not two, general elections left in him

The Fine Gael party leader has admitted that things will get worse, with 'one or two more' exits of TDs expected during this Dáil term

Leo Varadkar expects more senior members of the party to depart from national politics

'This is the right time', says veteran politican

The constituency changes published by the Electoral Commission have been digested and parties have begun strategising for the future

Every single vote, house, street, housing estate matters; a transfer of even 500 votes can be crucial to whether a seat is held or lost, writes Noel Rock

It comes as TDs and senators privately criticised Media Minister Catherine Martin for being “missing in action” over recent developments about the national broadcaster

A spokesperson for the Taoiseach confirmed he has received queries from the ethics watchdog but said that such correspondence is 'normal' 

'Now is the time to build a new social contract — one which renews our promise as a Republic', Higher Education Minister tells Fine Gael Griffith/Collins commemoration in Glasnevin 

Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez called the snap election as a tactical gamble to face down right-wing parties

Mr Donohoe said that changes had already been made to "capture all the learnings" around the costings of the National Children's Hospital

The Taoiseach told Fine Gael members that his door was always open, responding to articles that appeared in three newspapers outlining dissatisfaction with his leadership

The Taoiseach rejected the notion that Fine Gael has been 'drifting' under his stewardship

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, has led tributes to former Fine Gael Senator Paul Coghlan who died aged 79. Mr Coghlan was a senator from 1997 to his retirement in 2020, having been a businessman, auctioneer and a founding shareholder of Radio Kerry.

Latest figures from the HSE show that 435,621 over-70s were prescribed codeine products last year through the three main public drug schemes

All major parties want to keep the controversial tax — which generates around €5bn each year — despite a seismic shift in attitude among their own supporters

Also, welcoming Justice Minister Helen McEntee back, Mr Harris said that investigations by Gsoc being carried out in a timely manner “will be a priority” for her

MEPs from political groupings other than the EPP claimed on Thursday that they have reached a compromise deal with enough support to pass a Parliament committee vote on June 15

Labour's Alan Kelly said if Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil did not want the European Commission's proposed Nature Restoration Law to pass, they should bring down the Government