The Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has played down reports of tension between the Health Minister James Reilly and the junior minister at the department Róisín Shortall.
Following a meeting of the Labour Party's National Executive today, Eamon Gilmore said talk of friction between the two is greatly exaggerated.
He described the Ministers at the Department as a 'very very good' team.
The alleged tension was suggested between Minister of State Róisín Shortall and Health Minister James Reilly over the Minister increasing the number of priority primary care centres.
Health Minister James Reilly added 15 sites to the HSE list of priority primary care locations, including two in his own constituency.
Mr Reilly had said that he was aware that Minister of State Róisín Shortall disagreed with that decision, but that if he had to make it again tomorrow he would.
Ms Shortall said yesterday that she would like to hear what criteria Minister Reilly used when adding the locations, which had not been identified as priority locations.
