Enda Kenny is expected to announce his departure as Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach later this evening.

The Fine Gael leader will speak to his party's TDs and Senators behind closed doors at around 5:30pm.

The usual "Leaders' notes" are the second item on the agenda, with Kenny then expected to address ongoing speculation about his future plans as party leader.

And while there's no confirmation about his plans, there's a growing expectation he will trigger an election to replace him.

While Kenny has continually refused to make public remarks about his plans, this afternoon he's joked in the Dáil that he will ask "those two young ministers", Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney, to work together on regional issues in the near future.

Our political correspondent Gavan Reilly reports for Today FM's National Lunchtime News: