Cabinet announcements:Taoiseach Bertie Ahern hinted at a mid-term Cabinet reshuffle when he announced his new ministerial line-up to the Dáil.
"There will be a particular opportunity at the mid-term review of the Government's programme to continue further the allocation of ministerial responsibilities," he said. "These considerations will also be reflected in the names I will propose next week to the Government for appointment as ministers of state."
Mr Ahern said that in selecting nominees, he had to have regard to the record of achievement of many who had made an outstanding contribution to public life and to policy over recent years.
"I have also had regard to the talents and energy of others who have much to contribute. I am particularly conscious of the fact that a number of Ministers have held their office in their departments for only 2½ years.
"I believe that there is a strong case to enable Ministers to continue in some departments for a further period."
The Taoiseach said responsibility for sea fisheries would be reallocated to the Department of Agriculture and Food, which would become the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
The Department of Transport would take over responsibility for non-national roads and the national vehicle and driver file. The main responsibility for marine matters now lay with the Department of Transport, with the exception of fisheries.
Mr Ahern said there would be some other minor reallocation of functions to produce more efficient grouping of more specific activities which would be announced over the coming days.
He announced that he was nominating Brian Cowen as Tánaiste and Minister for Finance.
His other nominations were: Mary Harney, Health and Children; Noel Dempsey, Transport and the Marine; Dermot Ahern, Foreign Affairs; Micheál Martin, Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Séamus Brennan, Arts, Sport and Tourism; Martin Cullen, Social and Family Affairs; Éamon Ó Cuív, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs;
Mary Coughlan, Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Mary Hanafin, Education and Science; Willie O'Dea, Defence; Brian Lenihan, Justice, Equality and Law Reform; John Gormley, Environment, Heritage and Local Government; Éamon Ryan, Communications, Energy and Natural Resources; Tom Kitt, Chief Whip; Paul Gallagher SC, Attorney General.
Mr Ahern said he would be proposing to the Government that outgoing minister for the environment Dick Roche be appointed Minister of State for European Affairs.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the last government had almost broken up three times, twice last autumn and again during the election campaign, on the issue of the Taoiseach's finances. "The facts are that the two parties now supporting the Taoiseach were the most vocal seeking explanations from him during the election campaign.
"The explanation eventually put forward by the Taoiseach has since been flatly contradicted by the opening statement of the Mahon tribunal on May 28th, four days after polling day," he said.
Mr Kenny said while he congratulated the Cabinet and wished Ministers well personally, it was not a marriage of true minds. "Seventy-eight Fianna Fáilers, six Greens, three Independents and let us not forget the two PDs . . . The ultimate dolly mixture, advertised as those 'little colourful candies, packed with fruity flavour', appropriately, perhaps, from the makers of Bertie Bassett."
Mr Kenny said the Greens had naively wandered into a programme for government, with Fianna Fáil writ large all over it.
"The Greens have signed up because in their rush for ministerial jobs they forgot that, like Einstein said, what matters is not to be men of success but to be men of values. I believe the Green Party has made a fundamental political mistake," he added.
