The Government of the 13th Dáil or the 5th Government of Ireland (18 February 1948 – 13 June 1951) was the government of Ireland formed after the general election held on 4 February 1948 — commonly known as the First Inter-Party Government — was a government of Fine Gael, the Labour Party, Clann na Poblachta, Clann na Talmhan and the National Labour Party—and one TD who was an independent, James Dillon (who had resigned from Fine Gael after opposing its neutral stance in World War II). The parties had many different aims and viewpoints, but opposition to Fianna Fáil overcame difficulties in forming a government; Éamon de Valera had led a series of single-party Fianna Fáil governments since 1932. The cabinet was made up of representatives of all parties, and ministers were given a great degree of independence. Some key events during the lifetime of the government include the declaration of the Republic of Ireland in 1948 and the crisis surrounding the Mother and Child Scheme in 1951. The 5th Government lasted for days. 5th Government of Ireland Formation Fianna Fáil had been in office continuously since 1932, with Éamon de Valera as head of government (titled as President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State until 1937, and from then as Taoiseach). However, after the 1948 general election, the party was six seats short of a majority. At first, it seemed that de Valera would attempt to form a minority government. Negotiations for confidence and supply with the National Labour Party failed when National Labour insisted on a formal coalition; at that time, Fianna Fáil would not enter coalitions with other parties. Nevertheless, it initially appeared that Fianna Fáil was the only party that could realistically form a government. Even though it was short of a majority, Fianna Fáil was by far the largest party in the Dáil, with 37 more seats than the next-largest party, Fine Gael. However, the other parties realised that between them, they only had only one seat fewer than Fianna Fáil, and if they worked together, they could form a government with the support of at least seven independents. As the second-largest party in the Dáil, it was a foregone conclusion that Fine Gael would head such a coalition. In the normal course of events, Fine Gael leader Richard Mulcahy would have been the prospective coalition's nominee for Taoiseach. However, Clann na