FORMER FINE Gael leader Michael Noonan has said he is willing to serve on his party’s front bench in whatever capacity leader Enda Kenny may wish.
Mr Noonan confirmed last night that if asked he is available for any role Mr Kenny will ask him to take.
Mr Noonan’s name has been linked to the finance portfolio since Enda Kenny won the vote of confidence in his leadership on Thursday.
Former deputy leader Richard Bruton was sacked as finance spokesman by Mr Kenny on Monday after he refused to express confidence in the party leader.
Mr Noonan said he did not want to make reference to, or respond to questions on any specific role other than a willingness to serve.
The Limerick TD was Fine Gael leader between 2001 and 2002 and was also the party’s spokesman on finance for almost 10 years, initially between 1987 and 1993 and then between 1997 and 2001.
"Everybody has to make themselves available in circumstances like this," he told The Irish Timeslast night.
“I will do whatever Enda Kenny asks me to do if he thinks I have a contribution to make.”
Mr Kenny said yesterday that he would delay the appointment of the new front bench from next week to the week after next.
As he left Leinster House for his Co Mayo constituency, he also indicated that he would be conciliatory in approach when selecting the 19 members of the front bench.
“Everybody who wants to make a contribution, we will see can we accommodate all that. I want to move on now not just in a spirit of unity but also in a spirit of strength.
“I don’t have a bitter bone in my body,” he said.
He said the decision would not be made next week but “probably the week after”. Many in the party expect Mr Noonan to return to a senior position in the party for the first time since his resignation as leader in 2002, following what was regarded as a disastrous general election for the party.
Mr Noonan (67), who also has long ministerial experience in the departments of justice, industry and commerce and health, has kept abreast of financial and economic developments in recent years.
He has delivered some of the major speeches on the banking crisis, and the Nama legislation over the past 18 months.
Mr Noonan was also chairman of the Public Accounts Committee for three years between 2004 and 2007, a period during which he was a frontbench member without portfolio.
He played no role in either campaign during this week’s leadership battle, saying as former party leader he would stay outside the process. Nor did he disclose how he cast his vote.
Yesterday, Fine Gael MEP Mairéad McGuinness said there had been a lot of talk about this matter in the past two days. “Michael Noonan has enormous credibility and was a very able spokesman when he was in the position,” she said on RTÉ.
Mr Kenny is expected to reward some of his strongest supporters with promotion. Dr James Reilly is considered the frontrunner to become deputy leader, as he is based in Dublin.
Others expected to benefit are Phil Hogan, who ran Mr Kenny’s campaign over the past week, as well as Michael Ring; Paul Kehoe, Jimmy Deenihan and Alan Shatter, who has been mentioned as a possibility for the justice position.
Three of the 10 frontbench members – Simon Coveney, Fergus O’Dowd and Denis Naughten – who opposed the motion of confidence in Mr Kenny, said they would be willing to serve as frontbench members under Mr Kenny. Yesterday, Mr O’Dowd said it was a matter for Mr Kenny. “I would love to serve on the front bench, but it is entirely up to the leader,” he said. Mr Naughten said he was open to any phone calls he might receive. “We need to work together as a team,” he said.
A party source said yesterday that Mr Kenny may invite Mr Bruton to return to cabinet, but not in the finance position he previously held.