The Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has called on opposition parties to play a “positive and constructive” role in their dealings with the new government.

Sinn Fein has been critical of the new coalition – claiming it’s effectively a coalition between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.

But the Minister says the balance of power between the government and the Dáil has now shifted.

And he thinks all parties need to work it out.

“What people said to me on a daily basis was ‘go and sort it out, we wish you well in sorting it out’.

“We now have a Taoiseach, we now have a Government and I believe it’s now an incumbent on everyone to sit down and work things out in a way that can really mean a new departure in Irish politics.”