Taoiseach and Tánaiste to try and resolve gender and regional imbalance within Cabinet

There is an expectation that Charlie McConalogue could be offered a role on the junior benches

The new Ministers gathered for a portrait after being appointed to Cabinet by President Michael D Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin on Thursday. Photo: Leon Farrell / © RollingNews.ie

Both Micheál Martin and Simon Harris will seek to address criticisms of the gender and regional balance of their Cabinet picks when junior ministries are announced next week.

It is expected that 23 junior ministers will be announced next Wednesday, though only 20 will be able to take up their roles the following week, due to the current legislation only allowing for 20 ministers of state.

This number will be increased in a bid, sources said, to "reflect the increased workload of government departments". Within coalition parties, there is a belief that both party leaders will have to reflect on gender and geography after criticisms publicly of both in Thursday's full Cabinet announcement.

Of the 19 Cabinet attendees, just five are women, with just three female senior ministers, down from four in the last Cabinet. That led to sharp criticism from the opposition benches on Thursday, with Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore saying that in the senior ranks, there are now "as many Jameses as there are women".

On Thursday, the Director of the National Women's Council of Ireland, Orla O'Connor, said that the "message being sent to women was very poor".

It is not a good start to this new government and gender equality should be taken into serious consideration when it comes to the appointment of junior ministers, said Ms O'Connor.

Some in Fianna Fáil, however, have backed Mr Martin in his Cabinet appointments saying that not everyone can be elevated in a reshuffle.

“Even in the Bertie era, there were still limited spaces,” one TD said, adding that this created difficulties in ensuring there was a good mix of people promoted from around the country. “It’s always a struggle to ensure that geographical areas are well represented,” they added.

Names circulating in Fianna Fáil for promotion include Cavan-Monaghan TD Niamh Smyth, Clare TD Timmy Dooley, and Cork North-West TD Michael Moynihan. Carlow-Kilkenny's Jennifer Murnane O'Connor has also been tipped given the party took three seats in the constituency.

One Fianna Fáil source said that they would “expect” Mr Moynihan to get a reward from Mr Martin after he was left out of a junior minister role in 2020. Some have speculated that he could be approached to be the Leas Ceann Comhairle. Newly-elected TD Catherine Ardagh is also mentioned for promotion to the junior benches.

Sources in Fianna Fáil have highlighted that the omission of Charlie McConalogue from Cabinet has left a hole in the border region, with no senior minister in any border counties. However, there is an expectation that Mr McConalogue could be offered a role on the junior benches.

Current junior ministers, including Thomas Byrne, Niall Collins and Seán Fleming, are expected to be re-appointed next week.

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Regionally, one TD said that the three Fianna Fáil ministers from Dublin — Jack Chambers, Jim O’Callaghan, and Darragh O’Brien — are evidence the party is more focused on the capital. 

Mr Martin is expected to address the fact that he is the only person from Cork at Cabinet by appointing a junior minister from the county. Cork South West's Christopher O'Sullivan has been mentioned as a possibility to take up the role of Minister for Coastal Communities.

In Fine Gael, there is expectation that junior ministers Emer Higgins, Alan Dillon, Kieran O'Donnell, and Neale Richmond are likely to keep positions, but Simon Harris also has a number of first-time TDs who are vying for promotion. 

They include Cork's John Paul O'Shea and Waterford's John Cummins who were both part of the Fine Gael negotiating team.