CONFIRMED: Two local TDs appointed as Junior Ministers
The new Ministers of State have been announced tonight, shortly after 10pm
And, as predicted, both Robert Troy and Peter Burke have been made junior ministers.
Troy will have responsibility for Trade Promotion. He has been appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, but when the departments are reconfigured by the new Government, he will be attached to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, which will be headed up the Tanaiste Leo Varadkar.
Peter Burke will have responsibility for Local Government and Planning at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government where the senior minister is Darragh O'Brien.
The other Ministers of State appointed were:
Dara Calleary T.D., already appointed to the Department of the Taoiseach as Government Chief Whip, has been assigned additional responsibilities to also be a Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Gaeltacht) and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (Sport). Following the formal reconfiguration of Departments, Minister of State Calleary will be assigned to the Department of Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht.
Thomas Byrne T.D. - Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (EU Affairs)
Patrick O'Donovan T.D. - Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (OPW)
Ossian Smyth T.D. - Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (Public Procurement and eGovernment)
Jack Chambers T.D. - Department of Finance (Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance)
Josepha Madigan T.D. - Department of Education and Skills (Special Education and Inclusion)
Martin Heydon T.D. - Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Research & Development/ Farm Safety/ New Market Development)
Anne Rabbitte T.D. - Department of Health and the Department of Justice and Equality (Disability). Following the formal reconfiguration of Departments, Minister of State Rabbitte will be assigned to the Department of Children, Disability, Equality and Integration.
Colm Brophy T.D. - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora)
Charlie McConalogue T.D. - Department of Justice and Equality (Law Reform)
Joe O'Brien T.D. - Department of Rural and Community Development (Community Development and Charities)
Malcolm Noonan T.D. - Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Heritage); and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (Electoral Reform). Following the formal reconfiguration of Departments, Minister of State Noonan will be assigned to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Damien English T.D. - Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Employment Affairs); and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (Retail Businesses). Following the formal reconfiguration of Departments, Minister of State English will be assigned to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Mary Butler T.D. - Department of Health (Mental Health and Older People)
Frank Feighan T.D. - Department of Health (Public Health, Well Being and National Drugs Strategy)
Niall Collins T.D. - Department of Education and Skills (Skills and Further Education). Following the formal reconfiguration of Departments, Minister of State Collins will be assigned to the Department of Higher Education, Innovation and Science.
The Government previously appointed Senator Pippa Hackett to be Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Hildegarde Naughton, TD to be Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.