Fianna Fáil has insisted it will not pull back from its general election position on scrapping Irish Water in any discussions on formation of government.

The party said abolishing the utility was a red line matter for them in any negotiations on the make-up of the next government.

Party leader Micheál Martin said Fianna Fáil’s policy has been outlined in its manifesto and will not be moved from.

He said the position would be a "difficult issue" coming down the track in any negotiations with Fine Gael.

Fianna Fáil has proposed the abolition of Irish Water and the suspension of the charges for five years. It is aiming to establish a new utility tasked with the delivery of water services in Ireland.

Fianna Fáil is said to view the parties’ positions on water charges as the biggest obstacle to doing a deal with Fine Gael.

Fine Gael has insisted Fianna Fáil’s position on Irish Water is still unclear and claimed they have changed their views on a number of occasions in recent weeks.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mr Martin said there was no enthusiasm for a second election among his party or any other political party.

"I haven't ruled anything out since the election," he said. "From our discussions with the Independents, a lot of Independents would have difficulty in voting Enda Kenny as Taoiseach or Fine Gael back into back into power.

“Our focus exclusively at this particular point in time is forming a Fianna Fáil-led minority government with independents.”