Failing to address the gender imbalance

"We want to see as many of them as possible." This was the one-line response from Enda Kenny when he was asked — at the launch of his party’s election campaign in 2011 — if female representation would increase under a Fine Gael government.

But his new junior ministerial line-up announced yesterday shows that, while there might be a need for women TDs to be seen, there is little progress in having them heard when it comes to important roles.

It was widely anticipated that the Taoiseach would use the reshuffle opportunity to redress a huge gender imbalance which was considered to have been one of the shortcomings in his original line up.