James Reilly's last appointment as minister for health was of a former Labour councillor and constituency rival in north Dublin.
Dr Reilly appointed Ciarán Byrne, who lost his seat on Fingal County Council in May, to the board of the Food Safety Authority four days before he was demoted in the Cabinet reshuffle, the Department of Health has confirmed.
In April, Dr Reilly appointed another Labour councillor, Tom Kelleher, to the board of Beaumont Hospital. Mr Kelleher, from Swords, also lost his seat in the local elections.
Earlier this month, it was reported outgoing minister for the environment Phil Hogan appointed seven former councillors to State boards weeks before he left Cabinet. Outgoing minister for communications Pat Rabbitte appointed a Labour byelection candidate and a former Fine Gael TD to the board of Bord na Móna, while minister for arts and culture Jimmy Deenihan appointed a former Labour councillor to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Arts.
