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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 16 Dec 1982

Vol. 339 No. 3

Appointment of Ministers of State.

A Cheann Comhairle, I beg leave to announce, for the information of the Dáil, that the Government today appointed the following Deputies to be Ministers of State as follows:

Nuala Fennell,

Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach;

Ted Nealon,

Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach;

Ruairí Quinn,

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment;

Jim O'Keeffe,

Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs;

Paddy Hegarty,

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture;

Paul Connaughton,

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture;

Joseph Bermingham,

Minister for State at the Department of Finance;

Edward Collins,

Minister of State at the Department of Industry and Energy;

John Donnellan,

Minister of State at the Departments of Transport and Posts and Telegraphs;

Michael Moynihan,

Minister of State at the Department of Trade, Commerce and Tourism;

George Birmingham,

Minister of State at the Department of Labour;

Fergus O'Brien,

Minister of State at the Departments of Health and Social Welfare;

Donal Creed,

Minister of State at the Department of Education;

Michael D'Arcy,

Minister of State at the Departments of Fisheries and Forestry and the Gaeltacht.

I intend to ask the Government to assign the functions indicated to the two further Ministers of State at my Department namely, that Deputy Nuala Fennell will deal with Women's Affairs and Family Law Reform and that Deputy Ted Nealon will deal with Arts and Culture. The assignment of functions in the case of other Departments will be decided in due course by Ministers in consultation with me.

The Taoiseach has made an announcement and there cannot, according to Standing Orders and precedent, be any discussion or statements on that. It was purely an announcement for the benefit of the Dáil. That is in my advice in accordance with Standing Orders and I accept that.

That is a new departure. As the Chair is aware, I hope we will be able to adhere strictly to all his rulings on these matters but this is an exceptional departure on the part of the Chair. On this occasion the Chair might give me the liberty — I am not going to make any speech—of wishing the new Ministers of State well. I do not propose to comment on them but to wish them all, individually and collectively, well in their new assignments.

I should like to wish all Members a very happy Christmas and a well earned rest.

The Dáil adjourned at 12.35 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 26 1983.

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