LAST UPDATE | 27 Jun

DARA CALLEARY HAS been announced as the new “super junior” Minister attending Cabinet meetings.

The Fianna Fáil TD will also retain his current role as Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. 

He previously served as Minister for Agriculture, but resigned in 2020 following the fallout from the infamous Oireachtas Golf Society dinner in Galway.

Meanwhile, Kildare TD James Lawless has been appointed as a Minister of State at the Department of Transport and Environment, taking over the role vacated by Jack Chambers after his appointment to Minister for Finance.

Lawless is chair of the Oireachtas Justice committee.

The promotion now opens up a further vacancy in a junior ministry, which will allow someone from the backbenches to move up the ladder.

Calleary said he was “honoured” to be rejoining Cabinet and thanked Tánaiste Micheál Martin for the opportunity. 

“I look forward to working with colleagues on a range of issues, but particularly focussed on helping our enterprise community, our digital community and growing enterprises and business across the regions,” he said.

Lawless said it was a “huge honour to serve my country, serve the government and serve my party.”

“Transport is at the heart of the Kildare North commuter belt and all that I’ve worked towards as a public representative,” Lawless said.

“I look forward to building on the work done by Minister Jack Chambers and getting stuck into my brief.”

Taoiseach Simon Harris congratulated both men and said he looked forward to continuing working with them both. 

Congratulations to Minister @daracalleary and Minister @lawlessj on their respective appointments today, from all of your colleagues at Fianna Fáil. pic.twitter.com/8Vn8ZIUTSG

— Fianna Fáil (@fiannafailparty) June 27, 2024

“Dara has worked hard as Minister of State and will bring this experience to Government meetings with a focus on trade promotion and digital transformation,” Harris said.

“James has an important portfolio with responsibility for road transport and postal policy.”

Tánaiste Micheál Martin also congratulated both men on their appointments, saying Calleary had been “a very effective Minister of State” in his role in the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment. 

”James has a long-held interest in transport issues, and in particular developing public transport and road infrastructure. I wish him all the best in his new role.”

The Dáil yesterday voted to formally nominate Jack Chambers to take over the Finance portfolio from Michael McGrath, who himself was nominated as the country’s next European Commissioner.

Speaking after formal approval, Fianna Fáil leader and Tánaiste Micheál Martin said Chambers is “always completely on top of his brief” and “a constructive and focused contributor to deliberations”.

In addition to becoming Minister for Finance, Chambers was last week announced as the new deputy leader of Fianna Fáil, a role that had been unfilled for a number of years.

Meanwhile, work on the Finance brief began straight away for Chambers, who yesterday met with Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe.