Greens to get wish in Cabinet revamp
Responsibility for employment and training is expected to be removed from Tánaiste Mary Coughlan’s Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment.
That department will now focus on enterprise and economic planning, a Government source predicted, with the possibility that Ms Coughlan may be moved to a different portfolio.
Responsibility for employment is expected to shift to the Department of Social Affairs, which may be renamed to reflect its twin tasks of work and welfare.
Responsibility for training is likely to shift to the Department of Education, another source said.
The Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs are also expected to be changed or combined.
“There’s talk of a slash there as well,” a third source said, adding that Government secretary general Dermot McCarthy had been working on the restructuring options for Mr Cowen.
“Dermot McCarthy was doing an awful lot of war-gaming on it last week, putting scenarios together. And there were various options being kicked around.”
The restructuring of departments is likely to form the main element of the reshuffle, with a small number of personnel changes.
Mr Cowen has two Cabinet seats to fill, following the resignations of Defence Minister Willie O’Dea and Arts Minister Martin Cullen. Junior Minister Tony Killeen and Government chief whip Pat Carey are being tipped as the likeliest candidates to fill the seats.
Their promotions would, in turn, create vacancies at the junior ministerial level. A new “public sector minister” is expected to be announced, and that person may be given the status of “super junior”, meaning he or she can attend, but not vote at, Cabinet meetings.
Mayo TD Dara Calleary, currently a junior minister at the Department of Enterprise, has been linked to that role. Another junior minister, John Curran, may be promoted to chief whip to replace Mr Carey.
In addition, the Greens look set to get their wish for a second junior minister, a job likely to go to Ciaran Cuffe. This means that four of the six Green TDs would then hold Government positions, as the party already has two senior ministries and one junior ministry.
Mr Cowen said yesterday there were “no issues to be resolved” with the Greens. A Government source said the Greens had been looking for a “super junior” ministry but would get only a junior ministry instead, describing it as a “compromise”.
The move may irritate Fianna Fáil backbenchers, however, who do not believe the Greens should get an additional position.
Government sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of Mr Cowen’s desire to keep such matters confidential until today.
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