Independent TD Denis Naughten has been appointed as Minister for Communications, Climate Change and Natural Resources.
This is a new portfolio which now includes responsibility for the environment – an area previously served by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. That department has been restructured to focus on Housing, Planning and Local Government.
Denis Naughten was first elected to the Dáil, for Fine Gael, in 1997 and soon after became the party Spokesperson for Youth Affairs, School Transport and Adult Education. Over the years he served as Fine Gael Spokesperson on a number of areas including Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Transport and Agriculture.
In July 2011 he left the party after voting against the government’s decision to close the Roscommon County Hospital A&E department.
Denis Naughten becomes the first Full Minister from County Roscommon since Rooskey Born Albert Reynolds RIP who served as Minister for Finance up to 1991 and the first Minister to represent Roscommon since Sean Doherty RIP in 1982. Michael Finneran served as Minister for State for Housing and Local Services from May 2008 until he retired from politics in 2011.
The full list of Ministers and Departments announced by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny are as follows:
Department of Social Protection: Leo Varadkar
Department of Finance: Michael Noonan
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Paschal Donohoe
Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Mary Mitchell O’Connor
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Michael Creed
Department of Justice and Equality: Frances Fitzgerald. She has also been appointed as Tánaiste.
Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Katherine Zappone
Department of Health: Simon Harris
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Charles Flanagan
Department of Education and Skills: Richard Bruton
Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government: Simon Coveney
Department of Communications, Climate Change and Natural Resources: Denis Naughten
Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Shane Ross
Department of Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts & the Gaeltacht: Heather Humphreys
Department of Defence: Taoiseach Enda Kenny & Deputy Paul Kehoe as Minister of State, attending Government as Minister of State at the Departments of the Taoiseach and Defence with Special Responsibility for Defence.