SUPPORT FOR FINE Gael has risen by three percentage points, while Fianna Fáil, which is propping up its rival party in government, has seen a fall in support.

A new poll carried out by Behaviour and Attitudes for the Sunday Times, showed that satisfaction with the government has risen slightly to 48%, while support for Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has increased by one percentage point to 56%.

The paper reports that government satisfaction has gone up among female voters, white collar workers and professionals, and among young voters, hinting at a boost caused by the Eighth Amendment referendum result.

The poll results could also put to bed any chances of an election this year. On Friday, Varadkar and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin met to discuss the current confidence and supply agreement, and the possibility of extending it until 2020.

There are concerns around the impact an election could have on Brexit talks; the presidential election is already scheduled for October, and possibly two referendums.

According to the poll, support for individual parties are as follows:

• Fine Gael 34% (+3)
• Sinn Féin 22% (-2)
• Fianna Fáil 21% (-3)
• Others 10% (+1)
• Independent Alliance 4% (+1)
• Labour 3% (-1)
• Green 2% (=)
• Sol/Pbp 1% (-1)
• Social Democrats 1% (=)

The results are derived from 931 face-to-face interviews with eligible Irish voters, carried out between the 5-17 July. The margin of error is 3.3%.