Number-crunching time as leaders select lucky 13

TAOISEACH-in-waiting Enda Kenny will spend today working with his new coalition partner to plot the 13 TDs who will be nominated for seats at Cabinet.

Members of both parties are anxiously awaiting the dividing up of portfolios and it is inevitable high-profile figures in both parties will lose out.

Mr Kenny got a timely boost as comments from the European Commission called for Ireland to be given more time to recover and more generous bailout terms.

Economics Commissioner Olli Rehn said the most important issue was that the country’s debt could be sustained and did not cause more problems than it solved. He pointed to a particular problem if too many repayments fell due at the same time.

“The issue now and tomorrow is debt sustainability, and therefore I can see that there is a case to reduce the interest rates paid by Greece and Ireland. In that context, it is important that we also look at loan maturities so that we can go beyond the hump of 2014 and 2015 and that also contributes to debt sustainability,” he said.

Fine Gael TD Alan Shatter said Mr Rehn’s comments were “very helpful” as the new Government looks for allies in the high stakes negotiations which will take place this month on the terms of the international bailout.

“We have interests. Europe has interests to insure the level of debt is sustainable.

“I think what Olli Rehn is doing is further opening the door to the very important discussions that will take place in the coming days,” he said.

The sounds from the commission came as Moody’s ratings’ agency resisted pressure to downgrade Ireland’s status even further despite opting to lower Greece’s standard.

The looming brinkmanship between European leaders on the issue of the average 5.8% interest rate Ireland must pay for the bailout, will remain as Mr Kenny prepares to move into Government buildings tomorrow. He arrived back in Dublin last night to finalise the transition to power and will meet Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore this morning on the make-up of the Cabinet.

The pair remained in telephone contact since the programme was approved on Sunday.

Speculation that Mr Kenny would unveil his full junior ministerial roster on Wednesday, on top of his new Cabinet, has been played down by both coalition partners.

They said the convention was to announce the Cabinet when the Dáil returns and reveal the lower rung of the ministerial ladder at a later date.

And, given the tight timeframe there was to finalise a programme for government, it would be difficult to break with this habit to announce the full team when the Dáil returns tomorrow.