New Cabinet Portfolios

What is with the new Fine Gael Ministerial departments structure? I was actually looking forward to a new layout but I'm disappointed. Looks like a right mess now. Trade lumbered together with Foreign Affairs; Justice along with Defense; Equality with Gaelthact Affairs and Transport is put with Tourism and Sport. I preferred the Fianna Fail layout, it seemed clearer and specific as opposed to these new broad departments encompassing totally separate entities.

Sunnyisland

I was just looking at the sitting arrangements, sinn fein are sitting right next to fianna fail, should be some craic there.

mikemac

Tacking sport onto transport

Does Jimmy Deenihan speak Irish? Any Kerry people know?

ejmaztec

That's mad Ted.

sdanseo

The government is limited to 15 ministers by the consitution - in order to have the extra Finance department, (in fairness, the economy is a huge problem and does really need more than one person in charge although I dunno about two departments)...they needed to get rid of one.

ejmaztec

feelingstressed wrote: »

Tacking sport onto transport

Does Jimmy Deenihan speak Irish? Any Kerry people know?

I'm in Kerry and haven't even heard him speak English.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

ejmaztec wrote: »

I'm in Kerry and haven't even heard him speak English.

Is it possible, being Kerry, that he just speaks English so bad it sounds like it's Irish?

homeandaway

feelingstressed wrote: »

Tacking sport onto transport

Does Jimmy Deenihan speak Irish? Any Kerry people know?

Think he was a teacher but can't figure out why he didn't get sport.

General General

Transport, tourism & sport are all equally flucked looking in this country, no?

homeandaway

General General wrote: »

Transport, tourism & sport are all equally flucked looking in this country, no?

Yea think the Ministry is too broad, and the one Jimmy Deenihan got then Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht seems a bit weak

msg11

homeandaway wrote: »

Yea think the Ministry is too broad, and the one Jimmy Deenihan got then Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht seems a bit weak

THANKS FOR THE INFO

K-9

They seem to be going back to old departments, funnily enough.

FA and trade actually makes some sense, let him deal with Trade as well when abroad, cover both.

Justice and Defence I think go together easily.

Equality and the Gaeltacht, odd!

I think Transport and Tourism was together before, make some sense.

HSE is going and we'll be back to the Dept. of Health again, hardly inspiring!

mgmt

K-9 wrote: »

Justice and Defence I think go together easily.

Not when you're in Egypt and the army and police are taking the orders from the same person.

The_Minister

I don't like Justice and Defence together, that combined portfolio is far too large for one Minister.

Before any idiot comes along with "Defence is nothing, sure, we aren't at war" keep in mind that defence encompasses areas like emergency planning and response - the Cork airport crash would have involved the Department of Defence - as well as a few others.

Also keep in mind that now both the Gardaí and the Army are controlled by the same political structure and decision-maker, which I really don't like.

K-9

Budget wise it maybe a concern but Defence was losing out there over the last few years, an easy target. Sorry!

Under one Minister, he'll have to balance the 2.

Defence just doesn't seem to get respect in this country and this is probably another sign of it, I'll give you that.

PS. Justice always gets a high priority so it might just work.

smellslikeshoes

This is something that has always annoyed me. Portfolios should be smaller and more focused. I can understand things like Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation being under one portfolio because they are closely connected but having portfolios like Communications, Energy and Natural Resources together is absolutely daft.
Under the umbrella of the DCENR are things as diverse as broadband, renewable energies, mining, postal services and inland fisheries among others.

That portfolio alone needs to be split in 2 at the very least, with broadcasting and communications together and energy and natural resources together.
Having a constitutional limit of 15 ministers needs to be changed and should be brought to a referendum sooner rather than later.