I beg leave to announce, for the information of the House that after I had informed the President that Dáil Éireann had approved my nomination of Deputies to be members of the Government, the President on 27 June 2020 appointed them accordingly; that, on the same date, I nominated Deputy Leo Varadkar to be the Tánaiste and assigned the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation to him; that, on the same date, I assigned the other Departments of State to the other members of Government as follows:
Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to Deputy Eamon Ryan;
Department of Finance to Deputy Paschal Donohoe;
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to Deputy Michael McGrath;
Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to Deputy Catherine Martin;
Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to Deputy Darragh O'Brien;
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Defence to Deputy Simon Coveney;
Department of Education and Skills to Deputy Norma Foley;
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and the Department of Rural and Community Development to Deputy Heather Humphreys;
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to Deputy Barry Cowen;
Department of Children and Youth Affairs to Deputy Roderic O'Gorman;
Department of Justice and Equality to Deputy Helen McEntee; and
Department of Health to Deputy Stephen Donnelly;
that these assignments have been made pending completion of the necessary processes for the establishment of the new Departments and for transfers of functions that I announced in the House last week; that Deputy Simon Harris is a member of the Government without portfolio pending completion of these processes;
that on 27 June 2020, the President appointed Mr. Paul Gallagher SC as Attorney General; that, on the same day, the Government appointed Deputy Dara Calleary to be Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip, Senator Pippa Hackett to be Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and Deputy Hildegarde Naughton to Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, and that, on 1 July 2020, on my nomination, the Government appointed Deputy Calleary, in addition to his current responsibilities, as Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht with special responsibility for the Gaeltacht, and at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport with special responsibility for sport; Deputy Thomas Byrne as Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with special responsibility for European Union affairs; Deputy Patrick O'Donovan as Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works; Deputy Ossian Smyth as Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with special responsibility for public procurement and e-government; Deputy Jack Chambers as Minister of State at the Department of Finance with special responsibility for financial services, credit unions and insurance; Deputy Josepha Madigan as Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills with special responsibility for special education and inclusion; Deputy Martin Heydon as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for research and development, farm safety and new market development; Deputy Anne Rabbitte as Minister of State at the Department of Health and the Department of Justice and Equality with special responsibility for disability; Deputy Colm Brophy as Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with special responsibility for overseas development aid and the diaspora; Deputy Charlie McConalogue as Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality with special responsibility for law reform; Deputy Joe O'Brien as Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development with special responsibility for community development and charities; Deputy Peter Burke as Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government with special responsibility for local government and planning; Deputy Malcolm Noonan as Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht with special responsibility for heritage, and at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government with special responsibility for electoral reform; Deputy Robert Troy as Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with special responsibility for trade promotion; Deputy Damien English as Minister of State at the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection with special responsibility for employment affairs, and at the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation with special responsibility for retail businesses; Deputy Mary Butler as Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for mental health and older people; Deputy Frank Feighan as Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for public health, well-being and the national drugs strategy; and Deputy Niall Collins as Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills with special responsibility for skills and further education.