The new line up Junior Ministers is expected to be announced shortly.
The Irish Examiner is predicting that there will be some ”bloodshed” for Fine Gael this afternoon at the Cabinet junior minister reshuffle.
It was expected that Colm Brophy and Sligo Leitrim TD Frank Feehan will go in the shake-up and the decision taken by Deputy Joe McHugh not to contest the next general election was always going to rule him out of picking up a junior minister portfolio and would also lead to him being replaced as Chairperson of the European Affairs Oireachtas Committee.
Jennifer Carroll McNeal, Neal Richmond and Brendan Griffin forecasted to be promoted in the change.
Deputy Feighan has already confirmed to OceanFM News that he will no longer be a Junior Minister after the reshuffle.
In a statement he extended his thanks to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tánaiste, Micheál Martin for affording him the opportunity to serve as Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and National Drug Strategy.
He confirmed that when he accepted the role in June 2020, he did so in the knowledge that his term in office was to last for two and a half years.
The Sligo based TD said it was a privilege and an honour to serve the people of Ireland during one of the most challenging public health emergencies in our history and to have been part of the political team that was tasked with formulating the nation’s response to the pandemic.
He said his proudest moments as Minister of State was launching the first National Travellers Health Action Plan, the Sláintecare Healthy Communities initiative, commencing preparations for a citizens assembly on drugs in 2023, and introducing a minimum unit price per unit of alcohol, overseeing the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy 2021-2025 and launching the Healthy Ireland Strategic Action Plan.
Deputy Feighan concluded by saying that he will re-focus his full attention on the Sligo, Leitrim South Donegal, and North Roscommon Constituency.
Daniel McConnell, Political Editor with the Irish Examiner, is predicting that Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will be one of the big winners in today’s reshuffle:
