Mark Hennessy, Political Reporter, examines the changes in Government Departments announced yesterday.
The shake-up in a number of Government Departments announced by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, as he revealed his new Cabinet will take months to bed down, senior civil servants predicted last night.
The biggest change will come from the creation of the Department of Transport, which will have responsibility for the funding of national roads, traffic, bus transport, aviation and road safety.
Mr Seamus Brennan has desperately wanted a full place in the Cabinet, following five years as Government Chief Whip dealing with the pro-Government Independent TDs.
"He has certainly got the challenge that he wanted. He will be expected to deliver. There will be a real political focus on transport issues. And it won't be easy to deliver," predicted one colleague.
Speaking in the Dáil, the Taoiseach highlighted the portfolio's importance: "It requires concentration of resources and alignment of policies to put in place a network of tightly integrated facilities." However, the new Department will not have control of the National Spatial Strategy, which will, when completed, lay out a blueprint for the development of the country over the next 20 years.
Quickly seizing on the apparent contradiction, the Labour leader, Mr Ruairí Quinn, said transport could not be easily divorced from planning for new and bigger urban areas. A senior Government source insisted that the separation of duties was logical, saying: "There is no logic to the Labour leader's charge. It is a complete red herring."
Left without national roads, the Department of the Environment must refocus itself over coming years. "Environment should be about the environment and nothing else," said one civil servant.
In the Dáil Mr Ahern said it would act to improve air and water quality, waste management and recycling, while he also wanted action to "continue and intensify our effort to tackle our litter problem".
Although financially significant, the loss of roads should not affect Environment's clout, since international treaties will bring it even more centre-stage in coming years.
Ireland is already well above its Kyoto climate targets. Efforts to rein in carbon emissions will affect every householder and business financially and in other ways very soon.
The Department of Arts, Culture, Heritage, the Gaeltacht and the Islands, which is effectively being abolished in its current form, has ceded heritage policy and Dúchas to Environment.
Dúchas, which has responsibility for the upkeep of historic sites and monuments and dealing with special areas of conservation and national parks, should prove a happy source of political patronage for Mr Martin Cullen.
The creation of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs is a clear signal that the Taoiseach has noted the threat posed to Fianna Fáil by the Independent TDs west of the Shannon and elsewhere.
"The changes are designed to produce a more co-ordinated engagement by the State with communities around the country, but especially in the western part of the country, as they pursue their own development," Mr Ahern told the Dáil.
However, the appointment of Mr Eamon Ó Cuív to head the new Department, in place of his cousin, Ms Síle de Valera, is far from universally popular in Fianna Fáil ranks.
Certainly, he is incredibly lucky. His conduct during the Nice Treaty referendum, when he encouraged a Yes vote only to tell voters afterwards that he had voted No, left Mr Ahern furious, but clearly prepared to forgive.
His appointment creates problems for those drafting the National Spatial Strategy. Clearly, they are anxious about the growth in one-off rural housing. He, on the other hand, favours it.
The creation of Communications and Natural Resources under the highly regarded Dermot Ahern is welcome, since it will finally bring broadcasting and telecommunications under one roof.However, Mr Ahern will also have to deal with the thorny question of RTÉ's future, which lies in the balance.
The bringing together of marine, energy and natural resources, including mining, struck more than a few as odd, but manageable. "It is a bit of a push, but it can be handled," said one official. Under Mr John O'Donoghue, Arts, Sports and Tourism will bring together elements of arts, culture, tourism, sport and recreation to run areas which "are not economic or social but which have dimensions of both".
The biggest headache here will be the national stadium, although that could be long-fingered. Certainly, Mr O'Donoghue's Kerry base will ensure that he is never left able to ignore problems in the tourism industry.
The Taoiseach has appointed Ms Mandy Johnson as the first woman to become Government Press Secretary, one of the most influential of all jobs in the new administration.
She has acted as press officer for the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, since 1997, during which time she built a considerable reputation and had a key role in Fianna Fáil's successful election.
Her predecessor, Mr Joe Lennon, who has served in the gruelling post since 1997, has opted to become a special adviser to the Taoiseach based in Government Buildings.