Achi news desk-
Fine Gael’s new leader put geography ahead of gender when he gave promotion to men from the hinterland and Munster.
Government sources say there is a strong rationale behind keeping the rest of Leo Varadkar’s staff in place, including fears that the Civil Service will “run circles” of new ministers if there is a wholesale change.
But the Independent Irish could also reveal details of the intense behind-the-scenes lobbying that influenced Mr. Harris’s election in recent days.
Former Tenaire Frances Fitzgerald is said to have helped save Justice Secretary Helen McEntee from being demoted.
And Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys has pushed for Limerick TD Patrick Audubon to take up the role of Minister for Further and Higher Education.
Both women are close to the new Taoiseach.
Harris’s early days in politics were spent working for Fitzgerald, while his first appointment after taking over the leadership of Fine Gael was to make Humphreys his deputy.
The appointment of Westmeath TD Peter Burke as Minister for Enterprise was expected.
It means Galway TD Hildegarde Naughton has missed out on a full Cabinet role, but she remains as Prime Minister and will take on new responsibilities in the disability sector, which Mr Harris has made a priority. He also appointed Jennifer Carroll McNeil as European Affairs Minister.
Another shake-up of the junior offices is expected tomorrow, with Neil Richmond lining up to take over from Ms Carol McNeil in the Treasury Department. He will be tasked with drafting Fine Gael’s tax policy.
Mayo TD Alan Dillon, Dublin Mid-West TD Emer Higgins and Cork North Central TD Colm Burke are also tipped for promotion.
A senior government source defended the small turnaround last night, saying the Taoiseach had concerns the civil service would prevent junior ministers from enacting significant reforms less than a year before the general election.
The most radical move Mr. Harris contemplated was removing Helen McEntee from the court case, where she has struggled to make an impact in recent months.
But an intervention by Ms Fitzgerald, who is a former justice minister, together with the departure of industry minister Simon Coveney from the cabinet convinced him to keep her in the job. However, Mr Harris, who has pledged law and order as a central part of his Fine Gael leadership, told Ms McEntee he intended to work closely with her on justice issues.
His joint chief of staff, Sarah Burdon, will also play a key role in overseeing legal briefings from the Taoiseach’s department.
“He definitely changed his mind about Helen. She wasn’t up for the role at all. It was Peter [Burke] Who will get it,” said a former minister close to Mr Harris.
“Frans is the most influential person right now on the man himself [Simon Harris]. She pointed out the difficulties of a newcomer in dealing with the department, when all the different issues cross the minister’s desk.”
It is also understood that Mr O’Donovan’s appointment was decided by Mr Harris at the weekend.
“It was on the cards for the last three to four days. The idea that he could have left Munster without a minister in the government was ridiculous. He realized that at the end of last week,” said a former minister.
Mr O’Donovan was tipped for the role of chief whip, but a source said Mr O’Donovan could not be appointed as chief whip because he was “not good at bringing people together”.
His appointment means that Fine Gael does have a minister in every province, and government sources also noted that the Taoiseach has three ministers and three ministers.
However, Fine Gael backbenchers and senators criticized the party leader for an “annoying” mix-up.
One source said it did not reflect the major push for “new energy” within the party in recent weeks and under fire.
Helen McEntee was not removed from the Ministry of Justice despite speculation that this would happen in recent weeks was criticized.
There was also some criticism of the lack of women being promoted to senior cabinet positions, with Labor leader Ivana Bacik telling the Dáil: “It’s a shame we haven’t seen more women promoted to cabinet, I have to say that.”
One party source also agreed with that assessment, but another figure said it was “much more important” to be geographically balanced in this scramble.
Another TD said there was still a good gender balance among senior party ministers.
