Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will begin full negotiation talks for forming the next Government today. The two parties' deputy leaders, Jack Chambers and Helen McEntee, met last night to discuss the structure for today's negotiation talks.

It follows a meeting between chief negotiators for both parties on Tuesday evening. Fianna Fáil's deputy leader, Jack Chambers, met with Fine Gael's deputy leader, Helen McEntee, to discuss how the government formation talks will run.

Helen McEntee's controversy-plagued tenure as Minister for Justice appears to be coming to an end as Fine Gael do not regard ceding the portfolio to Fianna

The deputy leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will met this evening to begin talks about the formation of the next Government. Fianna Fáil's Jack Chambers and his Fine Gael counterpart Helen McEntee will head up their respective negotiation teams when they meet later today.

Fine Gael deputy leader Helen McEntee met with her Fianna Fáil counterpart Jack Chambers to discuss the structure and format for the talks

Fianna Fáil TD James Lawless has admitted that Government formation talks could conclude before Christmas but refrained from 'making predictions' as he noted it was 'about finding common ground.'

Fianna Fáil has asserted that its larger size must be reflected in the composition of government. But Fine Gael has pushed back firmly on that with Mr Harris responding sharply yesterday to any suggestion that it would be a junior partner.

Ivana Bacik held separate meetings with Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris and Tanaiste and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin on Tuesday.