Marc MacSharry (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It would be remiss to fail to wish the new Ministers of State well and to commiserate with those who have lost out on this occasion. Genuinely, we wish them all well. However, it speaks volumes when one sees the absence of a female Minister of State. There was ample talent on the Government side to consider. That is borne out by many Members on the Leader's side. As somebody from the north west, it is regrettable to see so many counties from the region without representation, including Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Roscommon, Galway, most of Donegal, Longford and Westmeath. It is a gaping wound in the north west.