Independent TD Shane Ross has said the Independent Alliance remains undecided whether to support Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael, as it sees no great difference between them.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, the co-founder of the grouping said it had held "two full meetings" with each party, while deputies with an interest in rural affairs had also met Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney.

Mr Ross said he believed that negotiations between the various groupings would "hot up" next week, with the parties seeking commitments from independent deputies.

He said the Alliance would support the party with the "most radical reform agenda", the party which was most committed to issues such as Dáil reform, the eradication of cronyism, the restoration of rural Ireland and banking reform.

The Dublin South TD said he expected a "tough week of hard negotiations" to get under way on Monday.

He also said he regretted the comments he made previously in relation to Taoiseach Enda Kenny being a political corpse and apologised for any offence it may have caused.