No seat for Clare TDs at Cabinet table

NEW Finance Minister, Deputy Michael Noonan, is the only TD from the Mid-West at the Cabinet table in the new Government.

Businesses struggling to stay afloat and the 10,816 people on the Live Register in Clare will be hoping that Deputy Noonan puts a package of measures in place to revitalise Shannon Airport and create jobs in the region as quickly as possible.
There was no place for Clare deputies Pat Breen, Joe Carey or Michael McNamara at the table but the new Attorney General, Máire Whelan, has strong Banner links. A native of Kinvara in South Galway, Ms Whelan’s family hail from Ballyvaughan.
Deputy Michael McNamara said he knew Ms Whelan from her time in the Law Library, where she worked as a senior counsel and recently came to prominence as one of the legal experts on NAMA.
Given the importance of implementing measures to tackle the banking crisis, Deputy McNamara said it is fitting that her expertise in this area would be rewarded with her elevation to Attorney General.
“While Clare hasn’t got a senior ministerial position, Ms Whelan will be sitting at the Cabinet table,” he noted.
While national and international issues often take up a lot of time at Cabinet meetings, former minister Tony Killeen said having a senior minister in the county had a number of clear advantages.
Mr Killeen claimed Limerick City’s controversial boundary extension could have been granted last year only for the presence of a Clare minister. He acknowledged that not having a senior minister could be a major disadvantage for Clare, noting that the powers of a junior minister are limited.
When Mr Killeen was Minister for Labour Affairs, he said an issue emerged with a major Shannon company that would have resulted in its closure. He claimed this was averted when he managed to set up a meeting between Micheál Martin, Shannon Development and company officials.
“When you are sitting at the Cabinet table, your views will be taken on board if you feel strongly about a particular local or regional issue. You are also more likely to find out about problems affecting a company or any important issue earlier, which gives you more time for critical intervention,” he said.
Meanwhile, as the 31st Dáil took shape on Wednesday, it was the first time Michael McNamara walked through the doors of Leinster House as a deputy.
The Scariff barrister and farmer admitted it was like attending a new school and that it would take time to learn all the procedures and standing orders of the new assembly.
Deputy McNamara said it must be strange for long-serving deputies to see such a small number of Fianna Fáil deputies in the Opposition benches, adding that he was surprised when Independent deputies, Mattie McGrath and Michael Healy-Rae backed Enda Kenny in the vote for Taoiseach.
Regarding Clare’s absence at the Cabinet table, Deputy McNamara noted, “You can’t always expect Clare to be represented in Cabinet. It will take Clare deputies some time before they get the opportunity to build up to the stature of Tony Killeen.
“I have received no indication about whether Clare will get any junior minister. One super minister was announced today and it is expected the number of junior ministers will be small.”
For Fine Gael’s Pat Breen, it was a new political perspective on Wednesday after years in the Opposition benches.
“It’s very different,” he said. “It’s dramatic really with such a large number of deputies in the Fine Gael party.”
Deputy Breen believes the country’s new Minister for Finance will be a great asset, not only to the region, but also to Clare.
“The challenge for this government is to get the country on its feet and it’s a daunting challenge. But with a Minister for Finance like Michael Noonan, we are more than capable. I’ve had a good working relationship with Michael over the years. I got into politics when he was leader and I’ve worked very closely with him. I think having a finance minister from the Mid-West will be good for the Mid-West and for Clare,” he added.
Deputy Breen said he is looking forward to the challenges of being in government. “It’s certainly different to nine years in opposition and it will take a little while for me to get used to all of the different faces. I feel this is a very new Government and a very different Government and it’s a Government where the back-benchers will have a major input and a role to play.”
Party colleague, Deputy Joe Carey, was clearly enjoying his party’s return to power on Wednesday.
“It’s the best day ever to be a Fine Gael person. It’s incredible to see Enda Kenny receiving 117 votes for the position of Taoiseach. There’s a lot of energy and a feel-good factor around the new Government.”
The coalition is effectively a national Government, Deputy Carey said. “The people of Ireland voted for Fine Gael in their droves and they voted for Labour in their droves and now we will effectively have a national Government.”
It’s a difficult time to be taking the reins, he acknowledged. “The election is over but the problems are still there. There are huge challenges for the new Government but we intend to meet them and to implement the Programme for Government.”
On a personal level, he said he is looking forward to being in Government. “It’s certainly a big change. There will be a lot more responsibility, a lot more pressure but we served our time in opposition over the last 14 years. We will bring a new energy and drive and I want to play a leading role in it,” he commented.
On the other side of the room, Deputy Timmy Dooley doesn’t have many Fianna Fáil colleagues in the new Dáil and he acknowledged that all has changed utterly.
“There was a parliamentary party meeting last week and that was the first physical reminder of how depleted the numbers are. It was very sobering and it would make you feel all the more fortunate to see that colleagues who had served their constituencies very well were not re-elected,” he told The Clare Champion on Wednesday.
He acknowledged that his access to decision makers will be lessened. “The bottom line is that there were very dark days over the three and a half years in government but when you are in a government party, you do have a greater opportunity to get things done and you have direct access to government ministers. That is a privilege you don’t have in opposition but I am looking forward to working with the three Government TDs from the constituency on the issues that are there and whether I’m in government or not I will work as well as I can for Clare.”
Mr Dooley said he expects to see change in Fianna Fáil. “I think that the way people voted showed two things. One was that they wanted a change of government and they gave a mandate to Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore. The second is that they wanted to see a change in Fianna Fáil. Many esteemed names weren’t re-elected because people wanted change and I think Micheál Martin recognises that and will deliver on that,” he concluded.