MINISTER OF State Tony Killeen, who has been mentioned as a leading contender to replace Willie O’Dea as Minister for Defence, has said he would be “very happy” in the post.
Mr Killeen, a Clare TD, who is Minister of State for fisheries and forestry, last night insisted there were “about 20 people” who could adequately fill the role.
“Obviously if the Taoiseach asked me I’d be very happy to do it . . . it would be a nice honour, of course, but it is the Taoiseach’s prerogative to decide,” he told RTÉ’s The Week In Politics programme.
Meanwhile, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin dismissed highly critical comments by Fianna Fáil National Executive member Jerry Beades about the Taoiseach’s ministerial team. Last week Mr Beades criticised the performance of some Cabinet Ministers and called on Mr Cowen to carry out sweeping changes when appointing a new Minister for Defence.
Mr Martin said Mr Beades should have raised his concerns within the Fianna Fáil National Executive, which is due to meet on Wednesday night.
“I was disappointed with Jerry, given the timing of his comments. He’s entitled to make the comments but I would have preferred if he had spoken to the Taoiseach and raised these issues at the National Executive meeting. I think they were unfair in relation to the Ministers concerned,” Mr Martin said.
“The Taoiseach is a very strong, robust person and he doesn’t allow himself to be bounced or pushed around too easily and I think he will calmly decide who fills that position.”
Mr Martin said he did not think Mr Cowen would be too concerned about Mr Beades’s comments.
Minister for Energy, Communications and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan yesterday played down the Green Party’s reported wish for a second junior ministry in the event of a reshuffle.
“The reshuffle is up to the Taoiseach and our leader John Gormley will set out any of the kind of things that we might look to or things that might happen as regards to ourselves,” he said.
“But it’s primarily a constitutional job for the Taoiseach to determine that and I’m sure he’ll do that in due course.”
Meanwhile, questioned about reports that Shay Brennan would again contest the Dublin South byelection, a Fianna Fáil spokeswoman said the candidate selection process had not yet begun.
A date for the byelection, to fill the vacancy created following George Lee’s decision to resign from Fine Gael and the Dáil, has not yet been set. Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, who yesterday said the Government was “falling apart from the centre”, would not be drawn on who the party would choose to contest the byelection.
“I’m not going to move the writ for Dublin South just yet . . . you can take it that Fine Gael will run a very strong candidate in Dublin South. I’m not sure when our people in Dublin South will decide to hold a convention,” Mr Kenny said. Fine Gael last week selected Cllr Barry O’Neill, an RTÉ sports reporter, to run in the Donegal South-West constituency.