Environment and Local Government:  Dempsey is deadly serious about his job. Nobody could doubt that he has immersed himself in every aspect of his wide-ranging portfolio, working so hard at it that his own health suffered as a result.

Minister for the Environment and Local Government,

Noel Dempsey

Track record

Even if he hasn't been able to persuade Charlie McCreevy to buy into "green" taxation, he can point to the new, if very belated, 15 cent plastic bag tax - first promised in Fianna Fáil's 1997 manifesto - and forthcoming landfill levy as evidence of progress, especially as the revenue they raise is "ring-fenced for environmental initatives."

Main achievement

Undoubtedly, the Planning and Development Act, 2000, which consolidated planning legislation going back to 1963 and streamlined the whole planning process. Dempsey deserves particular credit for standing up to strong opposition from the Fianna Fáil-dominated construction lobby over Part V of the Act. Under this, up to 20 per cent of residential land must be provided to the local authority, at its agricultural value, for "social and affordable" housing.

Against the backdrop of upwardly spiralling house prices in the late-1990s, the Minister is entitled to describe it as "the most radical initiative in the housing sector in the history of the State".

Biggest failure

As one of the few national politicians who recognises that the political system is in deep decay, Dempsey has been an outspoken advocate of root-and-branch reform - reducing the number of TDs and introducing single-seat constituencies to tackle the malaise of parish-pump clientelism so that the Dáil would be more focused on national legislation.

As a first step, he proposed that TDs should no longer hold a "dual mandate" as members of local authorities. But this was ditched by his Cabinet colleagues when it ran into implacable opposition from the Independents on whom the Government depends for its survival.

Prospects

By common consent, he has been the best Minister for the Environment since the post was created 20 years ago. Noel Dempsey's clean-cut image also led to him being mentioned as a potential future leader of Fianna Fáil, if Bertie Ahern had to step down for some reason - though he has since been eclipsed in the ratings by Micheál Martin. If the party is returned to government, he is bound to want a new and probably less onerous portfolio than Environment and Local Government, at least for the sake of his own health. But whatever role he is asked to perform, he can be counted on to continue speaking out about the need for serious Dáil reform.

Frank McDonald, Environment Editor

OPPOSITION PERFORMANCE

Fine Gael

Olivia Mitchell

Hardworking, outspoken and not afraid to take a stand which might appear to some to be less than politically correct. Her considerable involvement in issues in her Dublin South constituency has given her a keen appreciation of the problems in areas such as housing and traffic congestion.

Last year, she called for tougher laws against illegal Traveller camps. She said at the time that some Travellers, and some of their support groups, had chosen "to regard membership of a minority community as a licence to ignore" many of the State's laws.

Deirdre Clune is the Fine Gael spokeswoman on environmental and consumer protection. Her Dáil performance, sometimes bordering on the diffident, has not matched her ability.

Labour

Eamon Gilmore

A star on the Labour benches. Hugely energetic and an impressive and hardworking parliamentary performer. He handles all aspects of his brief with authority and conviction.

Gilmore is reported to be closer to Ruairí Quinn than his contemporary, Pat Rabbitte, and is expected to be a senior minister if Labour achieves power. He is spoken of as a successor to Quinn if the party leader decides to stand down in the event of Labour failing to achieve power.

M. O'R.