The November 24th deadline for agreement to powersharing government is "sacrosanct", the Minister for Foreign Affairs has warned the Northern parties.
Dermot Ahern, speaking after a meeting in Hillsborough with Northern Secretary Peter Hain, said failure to agree to restore an executive could put off devolution for many years.
The two ministers met to prepare business for a visit to Northern Ireland by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and prime minister Tony Blair on Thursday. This will include a timetable for progress which the governments expect to see.
Both ministers repeatedly emphasised the importance of the November deadline and stressed that Assembly members' allowances and salaries, together with party funding, would end if stalemate persisted.
A confidential Northern Ireland Office document yesterday estimated that the Democratic Unionists alone could lose more than £1.5 million.
BBC Northern Ireland reported it had seen a document which estimated the effect of a Stormont closedown on the North's largest party.
Stormont allowances for the party's press office and its constituency clinics would be severely affected by the ending of British state support.
The two premiers are expected once again to press party leaders to conclude a deal to restore devolved government.
Addressing the Rev Ian Paisley's party, Mr Hain said: "That will be the question the DUP in particular and the whole of unionism confronts. Do they want to see their MLAs pack up and go home to another life after midnight on November 24th or do they want them to do their jobs to which they were elected."
Mr Ahern added that the Irish Government expected a sustained effort to conclude an agreement involving Sinn Féin and the DUP.
Referring to the work of the Preparation for Government Committee at Stormont, which is made up of Assembly members of all parties, he said: "We are somewhat under-whelmed by the progress to date at the talks, but the very fact the parties are in talking to the Preparation for Government Committee is something positive itself."
Mr Ahern added: "It's incumbent on them to move to a new phase and that's part of the reason why the prime ministers will come here. Both governments are adamant about the November 24th deadline and we expect people to come up to the mark. Ultimately, it's a matter for them but November 24th is sacrosanct."
However, Dr Paisley last night demanded of Mr Blair an assessment of Sinn Féin fitness for government. "Does he believe that IRA/Sinn Féin are now fit for government in Northern Ireland? Or does he still believe that they have got to meet the requirements which he himself set down for them?"
Dr Paisley defined fitness for republicans in government as including total, complete and verifiable decommissioning of all arms; total cessation from terrorist and criminal activity; and genuine support of the police and the Northern courts.
The SDLP said last night: "There should be no further impediment to restoring the political institutions. We do not believe and do not accept that new preconditions can be introduced at this stage."