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RollingNews.ie/PA

'Progress is painfully slow': Criticism of Cabinet line-up with just four female ministers

The National Women’s Council said the low number is a consequence of a failure to run enough women on electable seats.

THE NATIONAL WOMEN’S Council of Ireland (NWCI) has expressed disappointment at the low number of women in the new Cabinet.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin this evening announced his ministerial line-up, with female politicians taking up just four of the 14 senior positions:

  • Helen McEntee – Minister for Justice
  • Norma Foley – Minister for Education
  • Heather Humphreys – Minister for Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands
  • Catherine Martin – Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht

Hildegarde Naughten will be super-junior minister for international transport and logistics at the Department of Climate Action. And Pippa Hackett will be super-junior minister with responsibility for Land Use and Biodiversity at the Department of Agriculture. 

Although they are not technically Cabinet positions, the ‘super-junior’ status means  they will still attend Cabinet meetings. 

The NWCI said the low number of women in the Cabinet is a direct consequence of the two main political parties “failing to run a sufficient number of women on electable seats” during the last election.

Orla O’Connor, director of NWCI said: “Four women do not even meet the current quota of 30% where we can begin to address gender balance, let alone the desired 50/50 split that has been achieved in many other countries across the world.”

She said it will be crucial now that all ministers promote women’s equality over the next Dáil term.

“The decisions they make in both appointments to senior decision-making bodies and the policies they implement must show a renewed commitment to advancing women’s rights.

Women cannot afford to wait for equality. With just 30.6% of elected Senators being women and only 22.5% women in the Dáil, progress to date has been shamefully slow. Women also remain severely underrepresented at local level.

O’Connor pointed out that councillors are often the pool of people that parties recruit from for their general election candidates and called on the government to pass legislation for a gender quota for the next local election in 2023. 

She also called on the government to increase support for initiatives “that support women to run for political office at all levels.”.

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    Mute Eugene Walsh
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    Dec 12th 2015, 7:09 AM

    I know everyone deserves a shot but if paddy went to Romania and behaved like that, he’d be sure of a good hiding from the cops or have the book flung at him in the courts for a sentence he wouldn’t forget.

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    Mute Andrea Brown
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    Dec 12th 2015, 10:35 AM

    In Balkan countries you do not mess with the police and jails make Mountjoy look like Disneyland.

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    Mute Claire Healey
    Favourite Claire Healey
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    Dec 12th 2015, 11:46 AM

    Why brin the Balkans into it? They have nothing to do with Romania!

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    Mute Claire Healey
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    Dec 12th 2015, 11:47 AM

    Why bring the Balkans into it? They have nothing to do with Romania!

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    Mute Frank Cauldhame
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    Dec 12th 2015, 12:00 PM

    The baltic weather sometimes causes brain-freeze, Romania is indeed part of the Balkan peninsula.

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    Mute Claire Healey
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    Dec 12th 2015, 12:10 PM

    Ah – I hadn’t realised the border extended all the way up to the Danube. I have been to a Baltic prison however, which would make any Irish prison seem like a 5 star holiday camp.

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    Mute Dawn Ní Shíocháin
    Favourite Dawn Ní Shíocháin
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    Dec 12th 2015, 7:27 AM

    And this is exactly why people reoffend.

    159
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    Mute None
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    Dec 12th 2015, 8:51 AM

    Yes and no previous convictions translates as hasn’t been caught before until now. What a joke of a justice system we have, no wonder Dublin is in decay, there’s no consequence to bad behaviour.

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    Mute nikki
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    Dec 12th 2015, 9:38 AM

    St Vincent de Paul will prob pay the fine for him anyway

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    Mute John Kelly
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    Dec 12th 2015, 11:04 AM

    Why? To pay 3k every time?

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    Mute John Kelly
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    Dec 12th 2015, 11:06 AM

    First paragraph states that he has now paid the fine.
    Further down states that at court in June he was given 6 months to pay.
    6 months = december

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    Mute Jack Bowden
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    Dec 12th 2015, 11:22 AM

    Maybe he shouldn’t have paid the fine. He would have got “six months” but would have been let of of prison after an hour an a half.

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    Mute Dawn Ní Shíocháin
    Favourite Dawn Ní Shíocháin
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    Dec 12th 2015, 12:41 PM

    He acted very violently in a corner shop to an innocent man doing his job. If this is his style of dealing with things that irritate him, who knows what he could do to source the €3000.

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    Mute Maximus
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    Dec 12th 2015, 7:25 AM

    €3000 = sorrow and regret are Genuine, Judge = Joke.

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    Mute Paul FitzGerald
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    Dec 12th 2015, 7:27 AM

    Seems as though the Romanian chap has integrated well with the local population.

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    Mute John Doyle
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    Dec 12th 2015, 8:02 AM

    Back on the boat for that Romanian parasite

    125
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    Mute bandido
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    Dec 12th 2015, 7:51 AM

    Not the first time of heard of that particular judge giving soft sentences

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    Mute Mr G
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    Dec 12th 2015, 8:09 AM

    I can bet it he headbutted a member of the emergency services. The story would be calling for mandatory sentences to be introduced. Do ordinary people not count when it comes to assault.

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    Mute Ronan McDermott
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    Dec 12th 2015, 8:52 AM

    Sounds like a real nice guy. 3000 for an attack like that involving bleeding caused by biting sounds too low. After blood testing it would have taken a long time to be sure he wasn’t infected with something.

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    Mute mickmc
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    Dec 12th 2015, 8:12 AM

    It’s a bit like a Scottish bloke I kind of half know who’s being living here about 15 years and is always giving out the eastern European “Foreigners” he has to work with. I point the irony out to him once but for some reason he didn’t consider himself a “foreigner”.

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    Mute Larry L'Oiseau
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    Dec 12th 2015, 9:29 AM

    You do know the history of population movement between Ireland and Scotland ?

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    Mute mickmc
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    Dec 12th 2015, 9:41 AM

    I’d have a working knowledge. What’s your point?

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    Mute Daisy Chainsaw
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    Dec 12th 2015, 2:38 PM

    Brits abroad call themselves expats, not migrants, or emigrants. Everyone is a foreigner to them, regardless.

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    Mute Mike Cantwell
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    Dec 12th 2015, 9:34 AM

    I thought only white folks could be racist

    56
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    Mute whereisspace
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    Dec 12th 2015, 9:54 AM

    Pop to any Middle Eastern country and you’ll see more racism in 1 day there than you would in 1 year in Europe. There’s no attempt to hide or discourage it over there.

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    Mute Ariana
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    Dec 12th 2015, 10:15 AM

    Most Romanians are white, so that’s a pointless comment.

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    Mute Liamnolan
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    Dec 12th 2015, 11:25 AM

    Send the yoke back to where he came from…..

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    Mute John Molloy
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    Dec 12th 2015, 1:05 PM

    Madness that the incident happened in June 2014 and only getting sorted out now. Only arrived in Ireland and was unemployed.For this type of offence he should be told to “paint and decorate” Romania and be kicked out.

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    Mute Eddie Byrne
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    Dec 12th 2015, 1:52 PM

    Just deport him

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    Mute An Sciathán Deas
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    Dec 12th 2015, 1:06 PM

    If this was any other country with sane border laws he would be sent home after a long prison sentence.

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    Mute John Kelly
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    Dec 12th 2015, 11:02 AM

    3000 out of pocket. He will remember that the next time he is having a few scoops

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    Mute Paul Freeman
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    Dec 12th 2015, 12:23 PM

    Who hasn’t had a few scoops and then a good Indian meal.

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    Mute Daisy Chainsaw
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    Dec 12th 2015, 2:33 PM

    Sounds like the sort who wouldn’t want a Muslim consultant.

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    Mute Katherine
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    Dec 31st 2015, 5:02 AM

    Hello! Your site is great!
    How much time did you spend to write so awesome articlesHappy New Year T Shirts

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    Mute HotPotato
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    Dec 12th 2015, 12:56 PM

    Absolutely disgusting! If an animal bit a person it would be put down!! This vile person should be deported back to his motherland & never again be allowed back to Ireland. Much too lenient a sentence in my opinion.

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