The Government's slim majority following the suspension of two Green TD's who voted with the Opposition on a motion on the new National Maternity Hospital has led to calls for an election by the end of the year
There's a renewed focus on the stability of the government, which now has a majority of one in the Dáil.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar is due to take over as Taoiseach at the end of the year, replacing Michael Martin.
Labour's Brendan Howlin says the country now has a "tired government" in place just as Ireland faces a number of fresh challenges
"All these things require a freshness, a dynamism and it's absolute absent from the current Government. So I hope there will be a refreshment, obviously there is going to be a change of Taoiseach at the end of the year anyway, and that might be an opportune time to ask the people to select a new Dail and a new Government"
