I beg leave to announce, for the information of the Dáil, that having informed the President that Dáil Éireann had approved my nomination of Deputies to be members of the Government, the President, on 14 June 2017, appointed them accordingly; that, on the same date, I nominated Deputy Frances Fitzgerald to be the Tánaiste and assigned the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation to her; that, on the same date, I assigned the Department of Defence to myself and the other Departments of State to the other members of the Government as follows: the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to Deputy Paschal Donohoe; the Department of Education and Skills to Deputy Richard Bruton; the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to Deputy Simon Coveney; the Department of Justice and Equality to Deputy Charles Flanagan; the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to Deputy Heather Humphreys; the Department of Health to Deputy Simon Harris; the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to Deputy Michael Creed; the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment to Deputy Denis Naughten; the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to Deputy Shane Norris - my apologies, it is Deputy Shane Ross-----
Appointment of Members of Government and Ministers of State
Norris would be a much better choice.
-----the Department of Children and Youth Affairs to Deputy Katherine Zappone; the Department of Social Protection to Deputy Regina Doherty; and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to Deputy Eoghan Murphy. The old titles of those Departments remain until the legal procedures are made to change them. These assignments have been made pending the completion of the necessary processes for the establishment of the new Departments and for the transfer of functions that I announced in the House last week. I further announce that Deputy Michael Ring is a member of the Government without portfolio pending completion of these processes-----
He is not in the post office anyway.
-----that, on 14 June 2017, the President appointed Seamus Woulfe SC as Attorney General; that, on the same date, the Government appointed Deputy Joe McHugh as Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach with responsibility as Government Chief Whip and at the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs with responsibility for Gaeilge, Gaeltacht and the islands; Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor as Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills with responsibility for higher education; Deputy Paul Kehoe as Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and at the Department of Defence with responsibility for defence; and Deputy Finian McGrath as Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection, the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of Health with responsibility for disability issues; and that, today, on my nomination, the Government appointed the following Deputies as Ministers of State to drive forward the Government's legislative programme:
Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise and Innovation, the Department of Employment and Social Protection, the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Justice and Equality with special responsibility for trade, employment, business, the EU digital single market and data protection - Deputy Pat Breen
Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for the national drugs strategy and health promotion - Deputy Catherine Byrne
Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with special responsibility for the diaspora and international development - Deputy Ciarán Cannon
Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for mental health and older people - Deputy Jim Daly
Minister of State at the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with special responsibility for financial services and insurance - Deputy Michael D'Arcy
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for food, forestry and horticulture - Deputy Andrew Doyle
Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government with special responsibility for housing and urban development - Deputy Damien English
Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport with special responsibility for tourism and sport - Deputy Brendan Griffin
Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise and Innovation and the Department of Education and Skills with special responsibility for training, skills, innovation, research and development - Deputy John Halligan
Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment with special responsibility for community, natural resources and digital development - Deputy Seán Kyne
Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of the Taoiseach with special responsibility for European affairs - Deputy Helen McEntee
Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with special responsibility for the OPW and flood relief - Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran
Minister of State at the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with special responsibility for public procurement, open government and e-government - Deputy Patrick O'Donovan
Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government with special responsibility for local government and electoral reform - Deputy John Paul Phelan
Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality with special responsibility for equality, immigration and integration - Deputy David Stanton.
Did Deputy Dara Murphy get a judicial appointment?