THE GREEN Party is highly confident the party will be given a second junior ministry when Taoiseach Brian Cowen announces his Cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday afternoon, according to informed sources close to the process.
Mr Cowen and Green Party leader John Gormley met twice yesterday after Mr Cowen returned on Thursday night from his official visit to the United States. Both leaders discussed the upcoming reshuffle and they are expected to have continued contact over the weekend.
Government sources also confirmed yesterday that the reshuffle will be announced on Tuesday afternoon. With the resignations of Willie O’Dea and Martin Cullen, two new senior ministerial appointments will be made, leaving vacancies at junior minister level.
Mr Cowen is also expected to announce a reconfiguration of Government departments, including the creation of a new “economic” ministry.
The Greens’ campaign to secure a second minister of state stems from a deal made with then taoiseach Bertie Ahern in 2007, as part of the Coalition agreement. In June 2007, Mr Ahern promised the Greens would be given a second minister of state position in the mid-term reshuffle, which was expected to take place two-and-a half years into the five-year term.
The party has two senior Ministers, Mr Gormley and Eamon Ryan. Its sole minister of state position is vacant after the resignation of Trevor Sargent. Deputy leader Mary White is the favourite to fill that position.
There has been strong resistance within Fianna Fáil to ceding to the Greens’ demands for a second junior ministry. That opposition has been on the basis that the number of junior ministers has fallen from 20 to 15. Several Fianna Fáil TDs, including Tipperary South deputy Mattie McGrath have argued that the Greens were instrumental in having the number of Ministers of State reduced and should drop its own demands.
Dún Laoghaire TD Ciarán Cuffeis expected to be the beneficiary in the event of the Greens getting a second junior ministry.
In a secret arrangement made before entering Government in 2007, this time internal to the party’s TDs, the Greens agreed to revolve one of its senior ministries after 2½ years. This would have seen Mr Gormley step down from Environment to be replaced by Mr Cuffe.
However,that agreement has been dropped after a protracted debate in the party.