Fine Gael set to take European Affairs ministry but Fianna Fáil to hang on to sport job

Fine Gael is set to take the role of minister for European Affairs but Fianna Fáil will hang on to the lucrative sports portfolio in this week’s reshuffle of the junior ranks of Government.

Saturday’s historic changeover of power within the Coalition saw minimal changes at Cabinet after Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar assumed the role of Taoiseach from Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin.

He is now Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs while Mr Martin’s predecessor in Iveagh House, Simon Coveney takes Mr Varadkar’s old job as Minister for Enterprise.

Changes to the ranks of junior ministers are due to be announced on Wednesday.

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With the role of Taoiseach and Minister for Foreign Affairs switching parties, Fianna Fáil’s Thomas Byrne is set to be moved from the role of Minister of State for European affairs though he is likely to feature elsewhere in the roster of junior ministers.

That European affairs job entails preparing for and accompanying the Taoiseach to European Council summits and Dún Laoghaire Fine Gael TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has been heavily tipped for the role.

The job of Minister of State for Sport is highly sought after due to the responsibility for sports funding for clubs and communities.

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It has been left vacant by the move of Fianna Fáil TD Jack Chambers to the role of ‘super-junior’ minister at the Department of Transport. He takes over there from Fine Gael’s Hildegarde Naughton who is now the Government chief whip.

The Irish Times understands that Fianna Fáil will keep the junior sport role with a source suggesting the party may also get some new junior portfolios.

There is believed to be limited scope for Mr Varadkar and Mr Martin to make widespread changes.

Two Fine Gael junior ministers seen as being at risk of being dropped are Frank Feighan and Colm Brophy.

Other changes on Saturday include Fianna Fáil’s Michael McGrath being moved to head Finance while Paschal Donohoe of Fine Gael is now Minister for Public Expenditure and NDP (National Development Plan)

Simon Harris stays at the Department of Higher Education but also has responsibility for the Department of Justice until Helen McEntee returns from maternity leave.

As expected there were no changes to the roles of Green Party ministers with leader Eamon Ryan staying on at the Departments of Environment and Transport, Catherine Martin remaining as minister for tourism and media and Roderic O’Gorman staying in place at the Department of Children and Integration.

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Heather Humphreys, a Fine Gael TD, stays on as Minister for Social Protection and Rural Development.

Fianna Fáil’s Darragh O’Brien, Stephen Donnelly, Norma Foley and Charlie McConalogue stay at Housing, Health, Education and Agriculture respectively.

Speaking in the Dáil after he was elected as Taoiseach for a second time Leo Varadkar said there are many challenges ahead during his term in office and the Coalition needs to go “all out” to address the housing crisis.

He said the Government is failing some of its citizens, and this needed to be put right: “Ireland has never been a failed State, and it is grotesque and dishonest to claim that we are or we were.”

Mr Varadkar said he also wanted to make progress on the Northern Ireland protocol and said the Government needs to do more to address child poverty.