While it did not come as a major surprise, Galway TDs Ciaran Cannon and Sean Kyne were duly rewarded by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for their support in the recent leadership battle after they were appointed junior ministers this week.
While Sean Kyne retains his junior ministerial status, he switches portfolios from his Gaeltacht responsibilities to Community Affairs and Digital Development while retaining his Natural Resources interests – meaning he will be working across two Government departments.
But it is a promotion for Galway East’s Deputy Cannon who will now serve as Minister of State for the Diaspora and Overseas Development.
His new role will give him a budget of around €700 million towards international aid and he wants this to be used for vital education and training projects in some of the poorer countries in Africa and Asia.
Minister Cannon said that Ireland had become one of the biggest contributors to foreign aid over the past 20 or 30 years and some of these countries who had benefited were no longer Third World and many were now investing in this country in return for the help that they received in the past.
“Over the years we have help many struggling countries and they are now repaying us in terms of investment in Ireland now that they have turned the corner. It is money well spent and I will be ensuring that it will be spent wisely,” he told The Connacht Tribune.
As regards the Irish abroad, he said that his department will be assisting those returning to this country for work by streamlining this process when it comes to obtaining credit ratings with banks, sourcing competitive car insurance as well as providing them with job options and information. “We have to ensure that they hit the ground running”, Minister Cannon added.
It is something of a bitter-sweet appointment as far as Minister Kyne in concerned.
He had settled in comfortably with the Gaeltacht portfolio and was hoping to retain this. But he said that he was delighted to receive the call that he was to retain a junior ministry and was looking forward to working with senior ministers Michael Ring and Denis Naughten.
“Some of my responsibilities are much the same as before, but it is an exciting new challenge,” he added.
See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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