Clare Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley has been confirmed as a Minister of State following an announcement this afternoon.
The new positions, a record number, were announced following a Cabinet meeting earlier.
Deputy Dooley, who topped the poll in Clare in last month’s General Election, will be a Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture with responsibility for fisheries. He will also take on responsibility for the marine as a junior minister at the Department of the Environment.
The new government will have the highest number of junior ministers in the history of the State. However, three appointees, including Timmy Dooley, will not be officially confirmed as junior ministers until legislation is amended to allow the number of ministers increase from 20 to 23.
The positions were confirmed by Cabinet after it met this afternoon. Four of the 23 will be super junior ministers, confirmed last week, will sit at the weekly Cabinet meetings.