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

I move:

That Dáil Éireann approves the nomination by the Taoiseach of Deputy Josepha Madigan for appointment by the President to be a member of the Government.

Pursuant to section 4(1) of the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1946, I have assigned the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation to Deputy Heather Humphreys of Cavan-Monaghan. I have now moved that the nomination of Deputy Josepha Madigan of Dublin Rathdown be approved. Following her appointment, I propose to assign to her the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

In appointing the Minister, Deputy Coveney, as Tánaiste, I am very conscious that in his important role as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, he has responsibility for Brexit. I believe his appointment as Tánaiste, Deputy Prime Minister, will enhance his position in representing the Government overseas and in the negotiations that are currently under way. It will make it easier for him to co-ordinate the work of other Departments with respect to Brexit.

The assignation of the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation to the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, means that for the first time in seven years the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation will be from outside the Dublin region. That the Minister is from the Border region is particularly relevant in the context of Brexit and the Government’s commitment to bring more good jobs to all regions of Ireland, especially rural Ireland. The ministerial experience of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and her background in business and finance makes her very suited to this role.

Deputy Madigan will build on the work of the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, in the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. She will drive forward the Government’s agenda for arts, culture and heritage, including the Creative Ireland programme, which is an ambitious ten-year capital plan for the arts, and the multi-annual increases in funding for culture and heritage. I have also decided to establish a new Cabinet committee - Cabinet Committee G - to deal with justice and equality. As a solicitor and mediator, in her new ministerial role Deputy Madigan will be a member of that committee and will take a special interest in driving forward the five-point agenda for gender equality, which I set out at FemFest at the weekend. I commend these appointments to the House.

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