The date for another Stormont Assembly election will be confirmed "soon", Northern Ireland Office minister Steve Baker has said.
There has been continuing uncertainty over the UK government's plans since the legal deadline for restoring the devolved institutions passed last Friday.
Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris has failed to set a date for a new poll, despite saying he would do so the minute the six-month timeframe to form an Executive ran out.
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The UK government has a legal responsibility to call an election within 12 weeks, with electoral officials currently planning for a potential poll on December 15.
Speaking during a Westminster debate, Mr Baker told MPs: "In line with his legal obligation, the Secretary of State will soon confirm the date of the next Northern Ireland Assembly election as required by law.
"Following that election and regardless of the result, the parties do need to come together to restore the devolved institutions and lead the people of NI through challenging times ahead."
The DUP has been blocking Stormont power-sharing in protest against Brexit's Northern Ireland Protocol, which has angered unionists for creating trade barriers with Great Britain.
The Irish government's Foreign Affairs Minister said the Secretary of State had yet to decide whether to call an election but he expected clarity would be provided soon.
Speaking after talks with Mr Heaton-Harris in Belfast, Simon Coveney said he reiterated the Irish government's view that an election would be "unhelpful".
He said: "I made it clear that the Irish government's position is that we don’t believe an election at this time is a good thing for Northern Ireland, in the context of the pressures that families and households are facing now, and also in the context of the reality that we’ve had an election only a number of months ago.
"So, we discussed options and views on a way forward. No decisions have been finalised yet, but I don't think we’re going to have to wait for very long before decisions are made in relation to the way forward."
Mr Coveney also said he will continue to make regular visits to Northern Ireland and will not be intimidated by loyalists objecting to his presence.
He said: "Small numbers of people with hard-line thinking, making threatening statements are not going to put us off."
It comes after the Loyalist Communities Council, a group representing loyalist paramilitaries, wrote a letter to unionist politicians urging them to make clear that Irish government ministers were not welcome in Northern Ireland.
Some unionists and loyalists have criticised the Irish government's role in the Brexit process and partly blame Dublin for the creation of the protocol.
The LCC also warned of "dire consequences" if Stormont's collapse led to joint authority between the British and Irish governments.
Mr Coveney insisted that joint authority was "not our focus" but instead said they want to "get the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement up and running again".
He added: "I think there's been too much talk, to be honest, about joint authority and not enough talk about getting an Executive back up and functioning again."
In a statement after their meeting, the Secretary of State condemned reports of loyalist threats of violence against the Irish government.
Mr Heaton-Harris said: "Violence or the threat of violence has no place in Northern Ireland.
"I want to highlight the importance of pursuing a more peaceful and prosperous future for Northern Ireland through democratic means."
The Northern Ireland secretary reiterated that the UK government "will not countenance" joint authority.
He said: "The Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement clearly sets out that the consent principle governs the constitutional position of Northern Ireland.
"The UK government will not countenance any arrangements that are inconsistent with that principle such as joint authority.
"In line with the UK government’s firm commitment to the agreement as it is, I will continue to engage with the Irish Government as set out in three stranded approach."
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