The Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton has expressed regret at the decision by her Labour Party colleague Roisin Shortall to resign as Minister for State at the Department of Health.
Ms Burton acknowledged that there were difficulties in Government but said they were insignificant when compared to the challenges facing many people as a result of the ongoing financial crisis.
She said that when the coalition had been formed, special structures had been put in place to resolve difficulties between senior and junior ministers and she said the Government needed to reflect on why these structures did not work to resolve the ongoing dispute between Ms Shortall and the Minister for Health James Reilly.
"What you have to have at the end of the day, as in any structure, is a system of communication and ... over a period of time that communication became difficult to the point of breakdown," she said.
Ms Burton acknowledged that Ms Shortall had outlined difficulties she was having with the Dr Reilly to the Labour party leader Eamon Gilmore several months ago but added that he had been duty bound to act in the national interest and not just the interests of the party.
"I think that Eamon as the leader of the Labour Party has to have regard, if you like, to the national interest as well as to the interests of the Labour Party, but in the time of crisis that we're in, let's be very clear, the national interest comes first."