Ministers from Fine Gael and Labour have both dismissed suggestions that they should campaign in the next general election with a joint manifesto.

Labour's Jan O'Sullivan says the two parties should campaign on different platforms, while the head of Fine Gael's election committee says there have been no talks.

The idea has come from former Fine Gael strategist Frank Flannery, who says it might be the only way to secure stable a government.

Minister O'Sullivan says she does not think a campaign as a coalition is likely:

The Tánaiste has previously claimed opposition parties will find it difficult to form any coalition after the next government because none of them can agree with each other.

Joan Burton says there are now eight opposition groupings in the Dáíl - but none of them seem prepared to work together to offer a stable government.

Her comments followed those of Labour's former leader Eamon Gilmore, who said Labour is getting too much of the blame for the difficult decisions made in government.

The next election could still be eight or nine months away, but already a dozen TDs have confirmed they will not run - and the two government parties have predictably sustained the heaviest hits.