Fine Gael has held the first of five regional meetings with party members over the Programme for Government document.
The meetings are taking place over the weekend to allow members to vote on whether to support the plan.
Fianna Fáil is also holding a national meeting in Dublin, with the path clear for a new government to be formed on Wednesday if both parties' members vote in favour of the document.
As he arrived for Fine Gael's first membership meeting at the Talbot Hotel in Stillorgan, Dublin, yesterday evening, Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said he believes the plan will help to bring solidity to the country.
He is understood to have told party members during the behind-closed-doors meeting that he believes Fine Gael is in a significantly better place than it expected to be a year ago when, he said, the pundits had predicted a Sinn Féin Taoiseach - and that Fine Gael would lose seats.
Mr Harris is also understood to have told delegates that the programme for government is a collegiate deal with other potential coalition members, Fianna Fáil and the Regional Independents.
The meeting in Dublin will be followed by meetings in Sligo, Cork, Carlow and Meath this weekend.
Fine Gael's votes are weighted as 55% for TDs, senators and MEPs; 30% for ordinary members; and 15% for councillors.
Fianna Fáil, which will hold a national meeting to ratify or reject the programme for government in Dublin tomorrow, has a one member, one vote ballot system - meaning all votes are equal regardless of party position.
A result of the membership Programme for Government votes will be known on Monday.
Should both parties agree to the Programme for Government, it will open the road for a new coalition to be formally elected by the Dáil on Wednesday.
Ceann Comhairle writes to business committee members
The Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy has written to members of the Dáil Business Committee about the recognition of technical groups where some TDs have publicly undertaken to support Government.
Ms Murphy asked members of the committee who do not agree with the current position to make a submission to her by close of business on Wednesday next, outlining any alternatives.
She said that she would carefully consider the points raised and take any necessary further advice from the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers.
Harris rejects opposition criticism
The Fine Gael leader rejected opposition criticism over plans for three new junior minister roles, saying he does not agree with opposition claims the plan is "jobs for the boys".
He was speaking to reporters as he arrived for a Fine Gael party members programme for government meeting.
Asked about news the prospective new Government intends to increase the number of junior ministers from 20 to 23 - meaning three government TDs will also have increased pay packets - Mr Harris said the move is about ensuring a larger government workload can be addressed.
He said "no" when asked if the move is "stroke politics", explaining the new junior minister roles are intended to help with issues such as migration, and that as the population of Ireland is increasing there is a need for more ministerial positions.
Probed to respond to opposition claims the move is "jobs for the boys", Mr Harris said his party's priority is to reduce childcare costs to €200 per month, build 300,000 new homes by 2030 and to help improve social care services, among other matters.
He said this is outlined in the Programme for Government.
Mr Harris separately responded to plans by three members of the seven TD Regional Independents - Barry Heneghan, Michael Lowry and Gillian Toole - to form a technical group in opposition while still being part of the Regional Independents group which has agreed the Programme for Government.
Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy has said the move is a "chancers charter" by the prospective new Government, while Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said it is akin to the Regional Independents wanting "to have their cake and eat it".
When asked about the issue, Mr Harris said the Regional Independents' suggestion needs more clarity, and that whether it will be allowed is a matter for new Dáil Ceann Comhairle and until recently Regional Independent TD Verona Murphy, who will make a decision after the Government is formed.
Arriving for the same Fine Gael meeting, party TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said the new junior ministers are needed due to a growing Irish population.
Questioned about whether she believes Regional Independents member Michael Lowry - whom Ms Carroll MacNeill met during Programme for Government talks as part of Fine Gael's negotiating team - is "trustworthy", Ms Carroll MacNeill said she does not know him well but that he has been re-elected a number of times since the Moriarty Tribunal findings and that his mandate should be respected.
Additional reporting from Micheál Lehane
