Taoiseach Enda Kenny has told RTÉ's The Week In Politics that it is his intention to have the General Election in spring 2016.
He was speaking following a week of intense speculation in which the end of November was cited as a possible period for a polling date.
Mr Kenny also said the Government would commit to ending the Universal Social Charge over time.
He said the USC could not be abolished overnight, but said his Government wanted to start the process in the upcoming Budget.
The Taoiseach said he had been very consistent on the date of the election.
Asked if he would change his mind about the date, he said he saw no reason to change it.
Mr Kenny said it was important that Fine Gael and Labour would go into the election on a joint platform.
He said his intention was based on continuing the progress Fine Gael and Labour had made.
The Taoiseach tells RTÉ's The Week In Politics it is his intention to have the General Election in spring 2016 https://t.co/HhnMFGVHfF
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) October 11, 2015
Fianna Fáil's Michael McGrath has said the uncertainty over the date of the election took from the overall message of unity and stability that the Government wanted to convey.
Speaking on the same programme, he said it now looked like there would be a spring election and he said Fianna Fáil would be ready for it.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said that Mr Kenny's "refusal over the past week to deal with the issue of the election date to the obvious discomfort of the Tánaiste, further exposed the chaos at the heart of this Government".
In a statement, Mr Adams said: "Mr Kenny should stop the silly game-playing of recent days, resign and call a General Election now."
Renua leader Lucinda Creighton said the uncertainty over the election date had been a real "circus" over the last few weeks.
She said it had been embarrassing watching the Government play it out in public.
Also speaking on RTÉ's The Week In Politics, Ms Creighton said that people want certainty.
Now that the election date had been clarified, she said, people can concentrate on the various ideas that the different parties were putting forward.
Speaking about the Budget, the Taoiseach said he would not speculate on the detail.
He said the Government had signalled the start of a process to be able to give people what they could.
Asked about how lowering taxes might impact on providing services, Mr Kenny said lower taxes meant more people at work.
He said the spend would go through the economy and provide a greater opportunity to provide social services.
Mr Kenny said this budget would be a very structured budget, and would not go beyond the €1.5bn spending parameters set out in the spring economic statement.
He said there had been a reduction in the deficit, in debt and a drop in unemployment.
