Dara Calleary tipped to be Robert Troy's successor 

The former agriculture minister left his previous role after his involvement in the 'golfgate' controversy in 2020

While Taoiseach Micheál Martin is said to be keeping his 'cards close to his chest', Dara Calleary is expected to take over from Robert Troy. Picture: Eamon Ward

The Taoiseach is expected to announce a replacement for former junior minister Robert Troy at Wednesday's Cabinet meeting, with former Agriculture Minister Dara Calleary the frontrunner.

Mr Troy resigned as Minister of State with responsibility for trade promotion last week, after 10 days of controversy about his failure to declare details of his property interests.

Government sources said that Micheál Martin is "keeping his cards close to his chest" about who he will select to replace Mr Troy, but it is expected that either Mr Calleary, who resigned his post in the wake of his attendance at the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner in August 2020, or Kildare North TD James Lawless will get the nod.

Other names mentioned have been Cork North-West TD Michael Moynihan, and Cavan-Monaghan TD Niamh Smyth.

Asked about the appointment in Monaghan on Tuesday, Micheál Martin said the "ability to do the job" will be the deciding factor in picking a new minister of State.

"I think obviously the capacity of an individual in a particular portfolio, the enterprise area in particular, so people who would be in a position to do well in that position."

Separately at Cabinet, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris will today launch the fourth National Access Plan, which will cover the period from 2022- 2028.

The plan names three specific priority groups among whom it is seeking to increase third-level attendance.

• Students who are socio-economically disadvantaged; 
• Students who are members of Irish Traveller and Roma communities; 
• Students with disabilities including intellectual disabilities.

The plan will place an additional focus will on students who have experienced homelessness, students who are survivors of domestic violence, students who have experience of the care system, students who are carers, and students who have experience of the criminal justice system.

Currently, 42% of students from disadvantaged schools transition to third-level. The new strategy aims to get that to 54%. 

Part of the plan will see the Department provide an additional 50 bursaries of €5,000 each under the 1916 Bursary Fund. This bursary targets the most socio-economically disadvantaged students from National Access Plan priority groups.

For the Traveller community, the document envisages a four-fold increase in the numbers attending third-level education. 

The strategy will be paid for with a €35m fund which was ring-fenced in last year's Budget.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee is also expected to bring a memo which will see the publication of legislation around the reform of the Prison Service, placing it on a statutory footing.