Politics

Focus now moves to appointment of 23 Junior Ministers

Under the agreement between the two parties Fianna Fáil will have 10 Junior Ministers and Fine Gael will have eight

President Michael D Higgins presenting the seal of office to newly-elected Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Aras an Uachtarain on Thursday. Photograph: Maxwell's/PA Wire
President Michael D Higgins presenting the seal of office to newly-elected Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Aras an Uachtarain on Thursday. Photograph: Maxwell's/PA Wire
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Pat Leahy
Sat Jan 25 2025 - 06:00

As the dust settled on Cabinet appointments after a dramatic two days of political theatre at Leinster House, focus will move next week to the appointment of 23 Junior Ministers, expected to be announced after the Government meets next week.

The new Ministers have began a series of briefings after all but one of the Government departments – enterprise, where Peter Burke remains in situ – were given new bosses in Micheál Martin’s second administration.

For those who were disappointed not to get a Cabinet job securing the next best thing now becomes the priority, while backbench TDs and some newbies are inevitably hopeful of promotion.

Though it is never enough to satisfy demand Martin and Simon Harris have a lot of jobs to give out. There are 23 Junior Minister posts, an increase of three – a change that requires legislation which will no doubt be fiercely opposed in the Dáil.

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Four of those are “super junior” posts with the right to sit at Cabinet – they have already been allocated to Fianna Fáil’s Mary Butler as Government chief whip; Fine Gael’s Hildegarde Naughton; and the Independents Sean Canney and Noel Grealish. Independents Kevin “Boxer” Moran, Marian Harkin and Michael Healy-Rae will take regular junior ministerial jobs.

In all Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have 18 junior jobs between them. The split, under the agreement between the two parties, is that Fianna Fáil will have 10 Junior Ministers and Fine Gael will have eight.

There were seven Fine Gael juniors in the last government and two – Jennifer Carroll-MacNeill and Martin Heydon – have been promoted to Cabinet. So if Simon Harris does not demote anyone he has three slots open for promotion. Demotion for Alan Dillon, Neale Richmond, Emer Higgins or Kieran O’Donnell would be surprising. Among the new TDs who might be justifiably hopeful are returned Cork South Central TD Jerry Buttimer, Waterford’s John Cummins, Barry Ward from Dún Laoghaire and Tipperary’s sole Fine Gael TD Michael Murphy.

Micheál Martin has more scope for movement. Three of the outgoing Fianna Fáil Junior Ministers have been promoted to Cabinet and one, Anne Rabbitte, lost her seat.

It would be major surprise if outgoing ministers Thomas Byrne and Niall Collins – both in the running for Cabinet jobs, or so speculation had it – were dropped. Outgoing minister Sean Fleming is also a safe pair of hands. But that leaves seven slots to be filled.

Charlie McConalogue – unlucky to be dropped from Cabinet – will almost certainly be offered a job, sources say. It would be a surprise if Timmy Dooley did not return to the ministerial ranks. Michael Moynihan is considered overdue a promotion.

After that, mindful of criticism of a shortage of women in the Cabinet, Martin is likely to promote Niamh Smyth. Catherine Ardagh, a first time TD but who was leader of the Fianna Fáil senators, could also get the nod.

The remaining slots are likely to be drawn from the ranks of Malcolm Byrne, Cathal Crowe, John Lahart, Paul McAuliffe, Christopher O’Sullivan and perhaps Robert Troy. All are likely to be keen to make their case in the days ahead.