Sean Fleming has lost out as Taoiseach Micheal Martin announced the junior ministerial positions today.
The Laois TD was the outgoing Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for International Development and Diaspora.
This is a role he was appointed to by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in 2022.
Previously to that, he had served as Minister of State at the Department of Finance, with special responsibility for Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance from 2020.
It means that for essentially the first time since 2014, Laois will not hold a ministerial or junior ministerial position.
Laois was briefly left like this in 2020 but following resignations of Dara Calleary (Golfgate) and Barry Cowen (drink driving), Sean Fleming was promoted in July of 2020.
Prior to Fleming, Fine Gael’s Charlie Flanagan was appointed Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in 2014 after Alan Shatter resigned and Frances Fitzgerald was promoted to Minister for Justice.
in 2017, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar appointed Flanagan as Minister for Justice and Equality.
This was a position he held until the new government was formed following the 2020 General Election.
In total, there will be 23 junior ministers in this government – the highest number ever.
10 of these are Fianna Fail and eight are Fine Gael – with the remaining five given to Independents who are supporting the government.
The identity of seven junior ministers was already known: five are Independent TDs supporting the Government; along with the new Chief Whip – Fianna Fáil’s Mary Butler – and Fine Gael’s Hildegarde Naughton.
The five Independent TDs are Michael Healy-Rae, Kevin Boxer Moran, Sean Canney, Noel Grealish and Marian Harkin.
Full list of junior ministers:
Mary Butler TD
Government Chief Whip and Minister of State with responsibility for Mental Health
Hildegarde Naughton TD
Super Junior Minister of State with responsibility for Disability
Seán Canney TD
Super Junior Minister with responsibility for International & Road Transport, Logistics, Rail & Ports
Noel Grealish TD
Super Junior Minister with responsibility for Food Promotion, New Markets, Research & Development
Thomas Byrne TD
Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for European Affairs and at the Department of Defence
Michael Moynihan TD
Minister of State at the Department of Education with special responsibility for Special Education and Inclusion
Charlie McConalogue TD
Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media with Special Responsibility for Sport and Postal Policy
Kevin Boxer Moran TD
Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform with responsibility for the Office of Public Works
Emer Higgins TD
Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform with special responsibility for Public Procurement, Digitalisation and eGovernment
Jennifer Murnane O’Connor TD
Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for Public Health, Well Being and the National Drugs Strategy
Michael Healy-Rae TD
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Forestry, Farm Safety and Horticulture
Neale Richmond TD
Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for International Development and Diaspora
Jerry Buttimer TD
Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, with special responsibility for Community Development, Charities, Gaeltacht and the Islands and the Department of Transport with special responsibility for Rural Transport
John Cummins TD
Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with special responsibility for Local Government and Planning
Christopher O’Sullivan TD
Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with special responsibility for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity
Kieran O’Donnell TD
Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for Older People and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with special responsibility for Housing
Robert Troy TD
Minister of State at the Department of Finance with special responsibility for Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance
Niall Collins TD
Minister of State at the Department of Justice with special responsibility for International Law, Law Reform and Youth Justice
Niamh Smyth TD
Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with special responsibility for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation
Alan Dillon TD
Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with special responsibility for Small Businesses and Retail and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications with special responsibility for Circular Economy
Timmy Dooley TD
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Fisheries and at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications with special responsibility for the Marine
Colm Brophy TD
Minister of State at the Department of Justice with special responsibility for Migration
Marian Harkin TD
Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science with special responsibility for Further Education, Apprenticeship, Construction and Climate Skills
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