The Taoiseach has defended the Minister for Jobs and Enterprise Mary Mitchell O’Connor, saying that he had “every confidence in her”.

"It does take some time for every Minister to become acquainted with their departments. I have no fault of her doing her job, and I expect her to focus on the business in hand," Mr Kenny told journalists yesterday during a briefing at Government Buildings.

“I have spoken to Mary Mitchell O’Connor, she is focused entirely on doing her job and I have every confidence in her.”

Asked what were the skills that persuaded him to promote her to his Cabinet, Mr Kenny said: “I appointed her, that’s my choice, it’s my responsibility as Taoiseach . . .

“I chose Mary Mitchell O’Connor for her experience, for the fact that she was involved in quite a lot of activities within the parliamentary party for a number of years before that, she understands what’s needed here, and that’s where she’s focused, and that’s where she’s working and working well.”

Abortion referendum

Mr Kenny declined to be drawn on the possible outcome of the Citizens’ Assembly, which is discussing a possible referendum on abortion. He recently told the Dáil that there were “six or more” possible outcomes from the assembly, but said he would not comment on what they were “just in case anyone might construe a remark from the Taoiseach as being some kind of instruction or direction from me”.

For the same reasons, he also declined to give his own personal view, despite his decision that the party whip will not be applied for a Dáil vote after the assembly reports.

“When there is a vote on this I will be very happy to vote on this myself and again I’m not going to give you an indication now because that’s one of the indications of a possible direction by the Taoiseach,” Mr Kenny said.

He said the Oireachtas committee that will consider the assembly's report could seek to extend its work, and declined to give a guarantee that the issue would be concluded during the lifetime of the present Dáil.

Leadership

Mr Kenny also declined to be drawn on questions about his future as Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader. "What I intend to do is to see that our agenda of 600 commitments in the programme for government, and what we've committed to, be followed through," he said.

The Taoiseach said he would "respond appropriately" if Pope Francis accepted an invitation from the Irish bishops to visit Ireland in 2018, though he declined to say if he would still be Taoiseach to greet the pontiff then. Asked if he would like to like to see the Pope visit Northern Ireland, Mr Kenny replied: "Yes, I would."

He added: "When Pope John Paul II came it wasn't possible for him to go to Northern Ireland . . . That is obviously a matter for the church authorities, but I am quite sure if Pope Francis does decide to come to Ireland, and were he to decide to visit Northern Ireland, he would, I am quite sure, want to make his own choice as to where he would go, and whom he would meet, and from my observation of the kind of places he does go, they are generally places that are socially challenged, and he is very much his own man in that regard. So we will wait and see what happens."