The Minister of State for Primary Care has refused to state her full confidence in James Reilly.
Attention was focused on the relationship between Minister Reilly and Roisin Shortall last week, when she revealed she had learnt of Cathal Magee's intention to resign from the HSE through the media.
When asked about her faith in Minister Reilly this morning, Minister Shortall merely stated that they need to work through the policy in relation to the future of the health service.
She was pressed on the issue a number of times, but opted not to state her full faith in the top minister at her department.
When asked the question directly, she answered: "We need to work through the policy in relation to the future of the health service and agree the policy.
"We need to ensure we have a strong public health service that will serve the patients into the future. That's what we have to concentrate on now."