TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY has today appointed his Ministers of State.
13 of the jobs went to his party colleagues, while two were give to independents.
Kenny had 36 backbenchers to consider, but awarded the 15 promotions to:
Three junior ministers had already been announced a couple of weeks ago, when we found out the Cabinet of the 32nd Dáil. They were:
Addressing the Dáil this evening, the Taoiseach said the government had expanded the number of ministers of state by three. He said this would aid the government in achieving measures outlined in the programme for government, with a specific focus on particular policy areas like health.
Labour Party Leader Joan Burton was critical of the line up, pointing out that there is no minister for the arts.
Yesterday she remarked that the arts portfolio had been diluted by “cramming more and more responsibilities into the same government department”. She also said the programme for government was lacking when it comes to providing supports to allow the arts to flourish and grow.
Alone, the charity for older people, also expressed disappointment that there is no Cabinet-level minister with responsibility for the ageing demographic.
“Every year there is an extra 20,000 older people in Ireland, and this figure is expected to continue growing exponentially,” commented CEO Sean Moynihan.
“In such a climate the government should be prioritising the needs of older people and strategically planning for the future. This new government needs to act now to plan for our ageing demographic and this is why we feel that a minister with sole responsibility for older people is required.”
- With reporting by Michelle Hennessy.
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