It took a while, but here are the new ministers…
From the time that Eamon Gilmore handed in his notice in May, we knew a reshuffle was on the cards. Now, with Joan Burton in as Labour leader and Tanaiste, and with the Garth Brooks issue on the back burner, Enda Kenny today unveiled his new ministerial team.
The big news is that James Reilly is gone from Health. Sort of. The new Minister for Health is in fact Leo Varadkar. Health is the most tricky of all the gigs, so Leo faces a tough time to emerge from this posting with his reputation intact. Reilly, however, is still in the health sphere, and the Cabinet, as he takes the job of Children and Public Health Minister.
Phil Hogan is also gone, from the Environment portfolio, but he gets the consolation of being nominated for the job of EU Commissioner.
Pat Rabbitte joins Gilmore and Ruairi Quinn in the back benches as his Communications, Energy and Natural Resources job is now the job of Labour’s Alex White.
The biggest promotion is for Paschal Donohue. The Dublin Central TD goes from Junior Minister for Europe to Transport, Tourism and Sport.
And the newest face is Heather Humphries, who is the new Minister for Arts as Jimmy Deenihan is moved to be in the Taoiseach Department as Minister of State for Diaspora.
Simon Coveney keeps Agriculture and gets Defence too. Charlie Flanagan gets Foreign Affairs, Jan O’Sullivan gets Education and Alan Kelly gets Evironment and Local Government.
Ged Nash is appointed Super Junior for Business and Employment, so he gets to go to Cabinet meetings.
Here they all are, looking a bit like a really large Beatles tribute act.
Taoiseach with the new cabinet on the way to the Dáil. pic.twitter.com/cAqxmR89q3
— MerrionStreet.ie (@merrionstreet) July 11, 2014
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