Fine Gael are down and Labour are up in the last opinion poll before the election is called.

The Red C survey for today's Sunday Business Post also sees a drop in support for Fianna Fáil - putting it back to the level it got in its disastrous general election performance five years ago.

This poll was taken between Monday and Wednesday, has a margin of error of 3% and compares to the last tracking poll from RED C a fortnight ago.

Fine Gael drops a point to 29% - the party's second drop since Christmas - while Labour goes up a point to 10%, the party's highest poll rating since last September.

Support for Sinn Féin remains unchanged on 19%, while Fianna Fáil sees a 2 point drop to 17% - exactly what it got in the general election five years ago.

Independents and others go up 2 to 25%. Within that Renua go from 2 to 1, the Social Democrats go up 1 to 2, the Green Party go up 1 to 3, the People Before Profit-Anti Austerity Alliance are unchanged on 3 and independents and others are up 1 to 16%.

Pat Leahy is Political Editor of the Sunday Business Post. He says that the current Government has a difficult job ahead, suggesting the parties need to gain five or six points between them during the upcoming election campaign if they are to stand a chance of being elected.