Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan says slow progress is being made in North

The election in the North might only have been a week ago, but another one might be on the cards.

The British Secretary of State says the public could be back at the ballot box if a deal isn't reached before the three week deadline.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan says progress is being made, but slowly.

Stephen Farry from the Alliance Party says politicians need to be extremely careful about devolution slipping away.

"Direct rule is there in the backround as a potential outcome and indeed a potential threat the process. We've always maintained that direct rule is a bit of a delusion."