The Government has agreed that the Taoiseach’s position will change hands on December 17th.
The initial plan had been for current Tánaiste Leo Varadkar to return to the Taoiseach’s office on December 15th – however, that date clashes with the last European council meeting of the year.
While Ireland could have deputised another member state to attend in its place, it was seen as strategically and symbolically important that Taoiseach Micheál Martin would attend as head of government.
The changeover of the Taoiseach’s position as part of a pre-planned agreement in the programme for government is a new departure for Irish politics, and it is expected a ministerial reshuffle will follow.
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Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe is to become Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, with Michael McGrath expected to move in the opposite direction. Much of the extent of the reshuffle at cabinet level will be determined by Mr Martin’s choice of portfolio.
With a free choice, he could move to a department currently held by a Fine Gael minister, leading to a more widespread reshuffle. However, coalition sources believe that a wide-reaching reshuffle is unlikely. Mr Martin has already signalled that Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien is safe in his seat, and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has indicated he will not be swapping any of the party’s three cabinet positions.
More widespread changes are expected at junior level. It is understood the topic of the changeover was raised during the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday night. Carlow Kilkenny TD John Paul Phelan is understood to have raised a number of questions around why Mr Martin could not vacate the post sooner to allow Mr Varadkar to take the reins on the day that had previously been agreed, December 15th.
However Mr Varadkar is understood to have told the meeting that he has no problem with the slight delay and does not regard it as an issue.
Separately, sources have indicated that Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, who is due to go on maternity leave in the coming weeks, will remain in her role and not be reshuffled into another department. She will become a Minister without portfolio with her responsibilities reassigned to another Minister while she remains on maternity leave.
