Main pic: Charlie McConalogue celebrates his re-election to the Dáil after last November’s count in Letterkenny.
Donegal TD Charlie McConalogue has been officially confirmed as a new Junior Minister after a Cabinet meeting this afternoon.
McConalogue lost his senior role as the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the new cabinet, the role instead being given to Kildare TD Martin Heydon of Fine Gael.
However, the Donegal TD has been named as the Minister of State for Sport, one of the most sought-after junior appointments.
The Cabinet was informed about the appointment of 23 Ministers of State, an increase of three on the last Coalition.
Of 23 ministers of state, only six are women – a fact which suggests the controversy over gender equality in politics will continue to roll.
Four were already known – Chief Whip Mary Butler (Waterford); Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West); Emer Higgins (Dublin West). and Marian Harkin (Sligo Leitrim).
Elevated today were Niamh Smyth (Cavan Monaghan) and Jennifer Murnane O’Connor (Carlow Kilkenny).
Last week, only three of the 15 senior ministers were women: Norma Foley (Kerry); Helen McEntee (Meath East); and Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire).
The remaining 16 junior ministers were announced following the Cabinet meeting, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin saying that he has taken into account, when making his choices, that only three of the 15 senior Cabinet ministers are women.
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