TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has promoted two junior ministers to the Cabinet and moved four current Ministers to different departments in the long-awaited Cabinet reshuffle. No Ministers were dropped and the Green Party was given another Minister of State.
Five Government departments were also reconfigured, 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.
“This will help to bring together a streamlined and focused programme of funding of research and development, aligned with the objectives of enterprise policy,” said Mr Cowen.
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.
Ms Hanafin insisted later that she was not disappointed by her move and did not regard it as a demotion.
“The Taoiseach, when appointing me this morning, specifically asked that I would focus on the economic aspects of tourism, that he wanted to develop it as part of the economy, he even said that in his speech,” she said. “Once I saw that the policy of the Department of Social Welfare has now actually been taken from it and has actually gone to another department, I can’t say that I was sorry. I wouldn’t like a department with no policy direction and I’m glad to have it now,” she added.
The other principal changes announced by the Taoiseach were the appointment of two Green Party junior ministers, which represents a major concession to the junior Coalition party.
Ciaran 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 has said the appointment of two of his party’s TDs as junior ministers represented a “very successful day for the Greens in Government”.
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.