Six Government ministers have taken up their new roles in the Cabinet today after Taoiseach Brian Cowen yesterday promoted two junior ministers to the Cabinet and moved four current Ministers to different departments.
In the Dáil this morning the Ceann Comhairle Séamus Kirk confirmed he had received a letter from former minister Martin Cullen tending his resignation.
Five Government departments were also reconfigured in yesterday's reshuffle, with the Taoiseach saying the changes were designed to support the core objectives of economic recovery, job creation and support for those who have lost their jobs.
The Dáil approved the reshuffle, after a three-hour debate, by 83 votes to 75.
Pat Carey, who had been Government Chief Whip, was promoted to the Cabinet to the newly configured Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, which incorporates responsibility for social inclusion policy and family policy from the Department of Social and Family Affairs, and issues relating to equality, disability, integration and human rights from the Department of Justice.
The other new Cabinet Minister is Clare TD Tony Killeen, who was promoted from a junior post at the Department of Agriculture to become Minister for Defence.
The new Government Chief Whip is John Curran, who had been junior minister with responsibility for the national drugs strategy.
The four current Cabinet Ministers who have been moved to different portfolios are Mary Coughlan, Batt O’Keeffe, Eamon Ó Cuív and Mary Hanafin.
Ms Coughlan remains as Tánaiste but has moved from Enterprise and Employment to Education and Skills.
Batt O’Keeffe has moved in the opposite direction, from Education to the newly configured Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation. This will involve the transfer to the department of funding for the programme for research in third-level institutions.
Speaking at the launch of IBM's Smarter Cities Technology Centre in Dublin this morning, Mr O'Keeffe said he was going to focus on the work of the innovation task force and what recommendations can be put in place in the medium term and longer term.
Mr O'Keeffe said he would focus on the access businesses have to credit and the strategy for foreign direct investment into Ireland. "I have in mind that by mid-June I will have a refocus on what our strategy should be as a country in terms of marketing abroad," he said.
"The previous minister in my view was an outstanding and innovative person within the department, did excellent work and left me with a great legacy. I'm going to examine exactly where we stand at the present time, and I'm going to bring my own brand, and that's a brand of hard work and commitment", the newly appointed Minister said.
Commenting on Ms Hanafin's move to the new Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan said: "I had the privilege of working very closely with Minister Hanafin as Minister for Social Welfare.
"One of the difficulties about being Minister for Social Welfare is of course the fact that in that Department you must work very very closely with the department of Finance. In my Budget speech last year, the Government clearly identified tourism as a priority area for growth [and] that is why it's a very important department altogether."
"The question of tourism is a very important one for Ireland. We had three major jobs announcements this week and that demonstrates the international confidence which investors are showing in this country," Mr Lenihan said.
"We have a similar job to do in the tourism area, but we need to translate international confidence into visitation to Ireland and I know that Minister Hanafin will do an outstanding job."
Mr Ó Cuív will move to the newly configured Department of Social Protection, which will include the old department of social welfare, along with responsibility for the employment and community services of Fás.
Mary Hanafin moves from Social Welfare to the new Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “The tourism and hospitality industry employs over 200,000 people and brings in over €6 billion in revenue to this country every year. We want to significantly grow this business,” said Mr Cowen.
The other main changes announced by the Taoiseach were the appointment of two Green Party junior ministers, which represents a major concession to the junior Coalition party.
Ciarán Cuffe was appointed Minister of State with Planning, Sustainable Transport and Horticulture, across three departments, while party deputy leader Mary White was appointed Minister of State for Equality and Integration.
Wexford Fianna Fáil TD Seán Connick was promoted from the backbenches to Minister of State for Agriculture.
Mr Cowen also announced he was appointing Dara Calleary as a Minister of State at his own department and at the Department of Finance, to oversee public service reform under the direction of a Cabinet committee.
“I do not believe in making structural changes for their own sake. Too often, changes in structures can be pursued to disguise a lack of clear priorities or the determination to implement them. This Government has a clear agenda which I am determined will be driven forward with energy and commitment. There is no time to be wasted on extensive restructuring at the expense of action to implement our policies.”
Green Party leader John Gormley said the appointment of two of his party’s TDs as junior ministers represented a “very successful day for the Greens in Government”.
His colleague, the Minister for Communications, Eamon Ryan, said: "Our ability merits it. We're able for this job. We are strong and capable in Government, and we've a vision of the future, not just what the new economy is.
"Building a smarter planet is what we're doing starting in our own country. And yes, we are well up to that, yes we can do it. Ciarán Cuffe and Mary White are highly capable politicians. I'm looking forward to them delivering as ministers," he said.
However, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said: “The Taoiseach has retreated from the challenge of leadership that fell upon his shoulders. He could have been courageous, taken a different approach, and from among those on his own backbenches he could have reshuffled his Cabinet so that it would bring some semblance of life to an exhausted group who are fatigued and flattened. They are without ideas, energy, ideals or commitment.”
Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore said that one of the extraordinary aspects of the reshuffle was what the Taoiseach had not done.
“Why is the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, still in office? By any standards, she should be removed from office. While I acknowledge she has been a good Minister in other departments and has made a major contribution to public life, her record as Minister for Health and Children has been hopeless,” he said.
The reshuffle didn't include enough changes according to Fianna Fáil Máire Hoctor TD, who said: "an opportunity was lost to introduce new enthusiasm, new faces and refreshment".
Speaking on RTÉ today, Ms Hoctor said: "While I certainly welcome the appointment of my colleague Seán Connick, I think there are other Seán Connicks there as well who could have been lifted.
"We thought we were going to have . . . a difference in the departmental portfolios as well as a different array of faces and neither really happened . . . there was just relatively minor administrative changes made in the realignment of departments," she said.