The Taoiseach ruled out revising ministerial responsibilities within the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Mr Ahern said: "The Minister for Foreign Affairs has responsibility for European matters and I have no plans to appoint either a minister or a minister of State with responsibilities in this area."

He was replying to the Labour leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, who asked if the Taoiseach had any plans to reconsider his decision not to appoint a minister for European affairs in view of the fact that no minister from the Department had attended the recent EU general affairs meeting.

Mr Quinn said of the 14 meetings which Mr Andrews could have attended, he had only been at seven.

Having regard to the importance of the European dimension, whether it was in respect of regionalisation or anything else, would the Taoiseach not now agree that the State's European interests were not being properly served by the "intermittent and changing" representation at the agenda of the general affairs council?

Mr Ahern said there was a difficulty in the early months of the Government. Between September and April last year, both the Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs went to the North on a Monday night and returned on a Thursday or Friday.

He said of the 10 meetings of the general affairs council since the early part of this year, the Minister had attended all but two or three.