The Green Party has refused to comment on whether or not its parliamentary party meeting tonight has resolved an internal row surrounding the Cabinet reshuffle.
Following the meeting in Leinster House, which lasted an hour and a half and finished shortly after 8pm, a number of Green TDs and Senators leaving the meeting said that personnel changes in the forthcoming Cabinet reshuffle remained a “matter for the Taoiseach” in consultation with party leader John Gormley.
As he left the meeting, Mr Gormley would made no comment on his position, and again dismissed as speculation reports that he had agreed to relinquish his Cabinet position as part of an internal agreement on ministerial rotation.
Under that agreement, according to a number of Green sources, Mr Gormley would step down as Minister for Environment in favour of Mr Cuffe.
Earlier Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan denied knowledge of an agreement regarding a fourth Green ministerial position made with Fianna Fáil during the Programme for Government negotiations.
When asked about a possible agreement between the parties on the News at One this afternoon Mr Ryan said “nothing’s agreed as far as I’m concerned”.
He said any reshuffle is “a matter for the Taoiseach and work for Minister Gormley - I’ll let them get on with it”.
Mr Ryan also said he is happy in his current post and said “the job I have is crucially important I find hugely challenging and keen to get on with it.”
Party chairman Senator Dan Boyle had earlier said the party expects a second Green junior minister seat as part of the cabinet reshuffle.
The Green Party chairman declined to comment on reports of an internal agreement on ministerial rotation, when speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland.
Uncertainty over Green Party leader John Gormley’s future as Minister for the Environment raised new doubts about the stability of the Coalition last night as the Green Party refused to confirm or deny the existence of an internal agreement on ministerial rotation.
The Irish Times understands that Green TDs and Senators agreed two years ago that Mr Gormley would relinquish his Cabinet position in a mid-term reshuffle.
The agreement would have seen Dún Laoghaire TD Ciarán Cuffe, one of the party’s longest-serving politicians, being promoted in Mr Gormley’s place, with Eamon Ryan remaining on in the Cabinet.
A second rotation would have resulted in Trevor Sargent making way for Carlow-Kilkenny TD Mary White. However, that is no longer necessary because of Mr Sargent’s resignation last week.
A number of sources within the Greens confirmed that discussions had taken place within the party on rotating ministries. One said that such rotation had happened with Greens in government elsewhere, particularly in Germany, to underline the party philosophy that no individual should be placed above policy.
“We’ve discussed it in general but not the who, what or the when,” said the source, who added that circumstances had since changed.
