Dáil debates

Tuesday, 4 July 2017

Ceisteanna - Questions

Cabinet Committees

4:55 pm

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I intend to change it. I expect there will be fewer Cabinet subcommittees, probably, approximately five. There will be an economic focused one, one focused on public services and social policy, another on EU affairs and international affairs, another on infrastructure and housing, and probably, we will retain a dedicated one on health given the high priority that will be attached to that. I will have many fewer people attending them, meeting in different formats.

I am also doing a lot more on a bilateral level. For example, yesterday I met bilaterally with the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, their Secretary General and their adviser. I also met the Minister of Stat, Deputy Finian McGrath, on disability issues with his three Secretary Generals. I will be doing that a lot more - meeting bilaterally with Ministers to try and drive the agenda and get things done.

I will also have longer Cabinet meetings. For example, there will be two Cabinet meetings next week because there will be a special Cabinet meeting to deal with the summer economic statement. Something like that deserves full consideration by the Cabinet for two or three hours, and not being one of 28 or 50 items at a regular meeting.

There will also be full-day Cabinet meetings. The first full-day Cabinet meeting will deal with climate change and the Government's actions on that in the morning and then the capital plan in the afternoon.

Those are the kind of changes that I intend to make. We will see how they work out. The key is to troubleshoot problems and drive the agenda, and that is what I will try and do.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.