The UK government is merely "going through the motions" in talks to restore power sharing at Stormont and is more focused on their efforts to strike a deal with the DUP at Westminster, Sinn Féin has claimed.

Sinn Féin negotiator Conor Murphy said his party had serious concerns the deadline for saving devolution would be missed due the disengagement of both the DUP and Conservatives.

He rubbished any suggestion an agreement could be reached between the parties in Belfast before details of any Tory/DUP confidence and supply accord were published.

Mr Murphy said while the official deadline for a deal at Stormont was next Thursday – 29 June – the Irish and UK governments had told the participants an agreement had to be effectively reached by Tuesday.

"The reality is the British government are going through the motions here while their game is their own preservation of their own interests in London," he said.

Mr Murphy added: "Thus far we have not seen, as the British government and the DUP have been distracted with other business, we haven't seen the level of engagement that is required here.

"We are seriously concerned given the time-frame we are operating here, given the lack of any visibility in terms of the deal being negotiated between the DUP and British government, time is fast running out on this process."

DUP Assembly member Simon Hamilton offered a contrasting view on the state of the talks inside Stormont Castle.

He said Thursday had been a "good day of engagement".

"We continue to make progress and we remain hopeful," he added.

He rejected the Sinn Féin claim that his party was distracted by events in London.

Northern Ireland has been without a powersharing Executive since March and without a first and deputy first minister since January, when the late Martin McGuinness's resignation forced DUP leader Arlene Foster from her job as first minister.

This morning a senior DUP MP said the chances of reaching a deal with the Conservatives to prop up British Prime Minister Theresa May's minority government are "very good".

A deal must be agreed before next Thursday when the House of Commons votes on the legislative agenda of the Conservative Party which was outlined in a speech delivered by Queen Elizabeth II yesterday.

Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP chief whip at Westminster, confirmed the party was seeking extra funding for Northern Ireland as part of the agreement.

However, he denied reports it was seeking £1 billion for the health service with a further £1bn of infrastructure.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he described reports of the DUP demanding a £2bn financial package for Northern Ireland as "wildly inaccurate".

The figures quoted were a gross exaggeration and the DUP had never sought a financial package that large, he said.

He said talks with the Conservative Party are going well, with a "deeper level of engagement" in the last 24 hours.

Mrs May was involved and was taking a hands-on approach, he added.

Mr Donaldson also said Brexit was being discussed with the Conservatives.

He repeated that his party wanted a "seamless border" and that there would be an accommodation for trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Being branded as "dinosaurs" was a minor insult by opposition parties in the UK, he added.

Analysis: RTÉ Northern Editor Tommie Gorman

In a deliberate move, this morning the DUP made available for interview one of its most senior members, Westminster MP Jeffrey Donaldson.

He featured on the BBC and on RTÉ's Morning Ireland.

One of his key statements was there is a good chance of an agreement between the DUP and Tories in advance of crucial votes at Westminster on Thursday.

His most significant comment in an island of Ireland context is that Brexit issues are an important part of the discussions with the Tories.

He said the DUP is keen to preserve the common travel area arrangement, a seamless border and an accommodation for trade between the North and South.

From the Donaldson comments, it would seem a deal between the Tories and the DUP is possible.

But the slow progress in London is affecting the pace of negotiations in Stormont about the proposed return of power-sharing.