Ryan says Cowen is a Green thinker

MINISTER FOR Communications Eamon Ryan says he is comfortable with the prospect of Brian Cowen becoming taoiseach and he expects to remain in his department.

Mr Ryan singled out for praise a speech given by Mr Cowen last year and said it showed that the future taoiseach was close to Green Party thinking on important issues.

Mr Cowen's Indecon speech in November was seen as setting out his vision for the future. In it, he called for reform of the public service, higher productivity in the private sector and said it may be appropriate to borrow to fund the National Development Plan.

He emphasised that high productivity, enhanced equality and safeguarding the environment would be the goals of the Irish State by the time of the centenary of the Easter Rising in 2016.

Mr Ryan said: "He set out three crucial developments for the country last year - how we achieve equity in our society, how we achieve productivity and how we tackle environmental issues. Those are three agendas that I'm equally committed to working in Government on. I think if Brian is selected by Fianna Fáil, we can and should work very effectively together.

"We are all going to have to learn together how we manage the retreat from our use of fossil fuels. One of the messages I am consistently saying is that part of that solution is a way of protecting our economy and protecting jobs and that is something that Brian Cowen understands and sees the potential for."

Mr Ryan said he did not "see any particular change in tack" in the direction of the new Government and was confident that both he and the other Green Party Minister John Gormley would keep their respective departments.

"I think that is something that we agreed with the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern," he said. "I don't have a sense that that is going to change. I think to a certain extent, in my own ministry and in John's, we have a huge agenda ahead of us. We're very much working on delivering real change."