53 days after the General Election and Government formation talks finally appear to be making progress.
This is the longest time on record it's taken to form a Government.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are discussing how a minority administration, led by Enda Kenny, would work.
However the issue of Irish water is still considered to be a sticking point for both parties.
Over the weekend it was reported that Labour is now considering backing Fine Gael in power.
The matter is being considered by party TDs, who would need the backing of a special conference to rejoin Government.
Meanwhile the Independent Alliance has insisted it will not join a government without a guarantee for hospital services in Waterford.
One of its TDs John Halligan says he has the full support of his colleagues in declaring it a red line issue.
Deputy Halligan has refused to take part in any further talks until Fine Gael agrees to keep a cardiac unit open 24 hours a day.
He says the Alliance is united behind him, as the service affects people across the entire south-east of Ireland:
"I have my own issues on the south east that I'm standing rigidly to which affects 500,000 people, that's the University Hospital, I'm not going to budge off of that.
And from what I can gather the Independent Alliance just confirmed to me they wont budge either, so we're kind of at an impasse at present."
