It is now 50 days since the General Election – the longest time on record it has taken to form a Government.

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will maintain contact this weekend following constructive talks on Friday.

Official negotiations aimed at forming a Fine Gael led minority Government – will resume on Monday.

Yesterday’s talks have been described as brief, however Fine Gael still needs the backing of another six independents, in addition to the two who are already on board.