Simon Coveney and Micheál Martin in panicked pleas for Independents to make a decision

Fine Gael minister Simon Coveney and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin last night urged Independents to make a decision on their parties’ bids for power in panicked phone calls and meetings across the country.

They made contact with 15 Independents still in talks about forming some kind of minority government as negotiations between the two biggest parties broke down.

With pressure from both sides intensifying on the unaligned TDs due to Fine Gael’s desire to ensure support for today’s vote and Fianna Fáil’s insistence it will not talk about any policies until Independents decide on who they are backing, both parties pushed home the message to the disparate groups.

In a meeting last night, Fine Gael negotiator and Agriculture Minister Mr Coveney met for a pre-arranged meeting in Leinster House with the Independent Alliance over what one member described as its “wish list” response to previous talks with Fine Gael.

Mr Coveney emphasised that his party needs to know whether it can count on support, but stopped short of outright endorsing the Independents’ plans.

These include, but are not limited to, a disability minister position; a cystic fibrosis unit for Beaumont hospital and the north east; rent allowance reforms; a review of closed hospital wards; and jobs for rural Ireland.

Despite the push to make a decision, the Independent Alliance — made up of Shane Ross, Finian McGrath, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran, Seán Canney and Michael Fitzmaurice — is unlikely to vote either way today without agreement between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

Shane Ross

As the meeting with Mr Coveney took place, two senior Department of Health officials were speaking with John Halligan, another Independent Alliance member in Waterford, after he officially left talks.

The long-time TD stepped out of discussions with both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil on Tuesday evening over the failure by both parties to confirm they will restore 24-hour cardiac cover at Waterford Regional Hospital.

The Waterford meeting was organised through Health minister Leo Varadkar in a bid to shore up the potential key Independent backing.

However, it is believed to have also ended in Mr Halligan saying he will abstain in today’s vote until he has a commitment to the new service in writing.

Meanwhile, after a stand-off with Fine Gael’s negotiating team over how many Independents will back it, Mr Martin rang all Independents still involved in the process yesterday seeking clarity on how they will vote.

Mr Martin is understood to have told them this is the last chance they have to vote for him. Despite the terse words by both parties, most Independents last night remained insistent they will not back either party.

However, members of the five-strong rural TD group have confirmed while this is the case for now, it is likely to split in the coming days over claims Denis Naughten believes it should vote for Mr Kenny and Mattie McGrath for Mr Martin. Mr Naughten, Mr McGrath, and fellow TD Michael Collins met for a “clear the air” pint in McGrattan’s pub in Dublin on Tuesday night after not speaking for a week.

But one member last night still insisted one of his colleagues tried to “sabotage” talks with Fianna Fáil, saying the group is to split.