Ireland’s newly-appointed premier has promised to tackle the housing crisis and create a “step change” for people with disabilities as he revealed a refreshed Cabinet.
After almost five years in coalition together, old political enemies Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are gearing up for another term in government – swapping out the Greens as a junior coalition partner for a handful of independents.
Following his appointment as Taoiseach on Thursday – a day after chaotic scenes disrupted proceedings in parliament to appoint him – Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin signaled there would be a shift in focus in the years ahead.
Mr Martin said the Department of Justice would undergo significant reform and “control” borders, immigration and integration, while the implementation of “health digitalisation” would be a priority.
He said that they would “ramp-up investment” in housing and look to implement “a new model of delivery for vital therapies” for people with disabilities.
“Our country has shown time and again just how much it can achieve,” he told the Dail chamber.
“In building one of the longest continuous democracies in the world we have overcome many great challenges.”
Among the high profile promotions to Cabinet were Fianna Fail TD Jim O’Callaghan as Minister for Justice and Fine Gael’s Jennifer Carroll MacNeill as Health Minister.
Fianna Fail’s Darragh O’Brien moves from the Housing brief to Transport and Climate, while Fianna Fail TD James Browne is elevated to Cabinet as Housing Minister.
Former minister and ex Fianna Fail deputy leader Dara Calleary, who resigned after the Golfgate controversy in 2020, was appointed as Social Protection Minister, while Fine Gael deputy leader Helen McEntee moves to Education.
Fianna Fail’s Norma Foley is at the helm of the Children and Disability department, Fine Gael’s Martin Heydon becomes Agriculture Minister and Patrick O’Donovan is Minister for Arts, Communications and Sport.
Fianna Fail’s James Lawless becomes Minister for Higher Education, while Fine Gael’s Peter Burke remains at Enterprise, but with Tourism added to his brief, and Mary Butler becomes the Government Chief Whip.
Paschal Donohoe returns as Finance Minister, while Jack Chambers is appointed as Minister for Public Expediture and Reform.
Mr Martin also confirmed to the Dail that two independents would be ‘super’ junior ministers: Noel Grealish as Minister of State for Food Promotion, New Markets, Research and Development, and Sean Canney as Minister of State for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports.
The rest of the junior ministerial appointments will be made next week.
Fine Gael leader Simon Harris, who became Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs minister, said that this was his party’s fourth consecutive turn in government, which offered “a historic opportunity”.
“We feel the weight of our responsibility keenly and we are looking forward to serving the country to the best of our abilities,” he said.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said she was having “a serious episode here of deja vu”, and said that “another five years of mediocrity simply won’t cut it”.
Ms McDonald, Labour leader Ivana Bacik and deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan all criticised the fall in the number of women at Cabinet from four to three, with Ms Bacik pointing out there are as many ministers named “James” as female ministers.
Earlier, parliamentarians voted 95 to 76 in support of the nomination of Mr Martin as Taoiseach.
The nomination was originally supposed to have taken place on Wednesday but a dispute over speaking rights for independents affiliated with the incoming coalition led to the Dail being adjourned.
The Dail reconvened at 11.40am on Thursday to proceed with the nomination of a taoiseach after extensive negotiations resulted in agreement that parliamentary rules needed to be reviewed.
After receiving Dail approval, Mr Martin and his family met President Michael D Higgins at his official residence at Aras an Uachtarain, where he formally became Taoiseach during a short ceremony.
Speaking in the Dail, Mr Martin said it was “a profound honour” to serve as head of the government in a “free, democratic and diverse” republic.
“We should never take for granted the freedoms and opportunities secured for us by the generations who sat here before us, and by the men and women who fought and campaigned for the establishment of Dail Eireann,” he said.
In a sign of the close relations between the two Civil War parties Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, Mr Harris expressed “sincere congratulations” to Mr Martin.
He said: “It is fair to say I could sense you were nurturing a mild desire to be taoiseach again and I sincerely want to congratulate you on the achievement and wish you well as we work together in partnership again.”
Mr Martin, 64, served as taoiseach in the last coalition government with Fine Gael and the Green Party.
That coalition introduced a “rotating taoiseach” mechanism which saw the top office swapped between the leaders of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael midway through the term.
The arrangement will be repeated, although on a three-to-two-year basis in favour of Fianna Fail in recognition of the party’s 10-seat lead over Fine Gael.
It continues a partnership which began in 2020 and set aside almost a century of animosity between the two parties forged from opposing sides of Ireland’s Civil War of the 1920s.
Mr Martin, from Cork, cites the moment Ireland became the first country to implement a workplace smoking ban in 2004 during his time as health minister as among his proudest political achievements.
The son of an Irish international boxer, he has also held cabinet ministries for enterprise, foreign affairs, defence and education, and has been the leader of Fianna Fail since 2011.
Mr Martin’s Fianna Fail emerged as the largest party after the Irish general election at the end of November and agreed to re-enter a coalition with Fine Gael.
The two parties combined were just short of a majority in the Dail and agreed a coalition deal with Fine Gael, the regional independent group and Kerry brothers Michael and Danny Healy-Rae.
