New Education Minister Hildegarde Naughton has received her seal of office at Aras an Uachtaráin.
The position is part of a cabinet reshuffle after Finance Minister Pascal Donohue announced he's resigning, to take up a job at the World Bank.
Minister Simon Harris succeeds him as the new Minister for Finance - while Helen McEntee has become the first female Foreign Affairs Minister.
The shake-up means President Catherine Connolly made her first official ministerial appointment late this afternoon, when she presented the seal of office to Fine Gael Minister Hildegarde Naughton.
Speaking after her appointment she said:
“I am deeply honoured to have been appointed as Minister for Education and Youth. I have been passionate about education since I qualified as a primary school teacher more than 20 years ago. I have served as Minister of State in several Government departments and I am confident that my experience as both Minister for Special Education and Inclusion and more recently as Minister for Disability will stand to me in my new role.”
Continuing, Minister Naughton added: “I am immensely proud to be the first Fine Gael TD from Galway West to be appointed to a senior cabinet position. I am absolutely committed to delivering a world-class education system for children across Ireland, but am mindful of my responsibilities and desire to progress vital strategic investment for projects throughout Galway. I will be a strong voice in Government for Galway and the west of Ireland in the years ahead.
“I want to give my heartfelt thanks to the people of Galway who have put their trust in me to represent their interests in Dáil Éireann and I thank them for their continued support.
“Since my election to Galway City Council in 2009, to my appointment to the Seanad and the three subsequent General Elections, I have had the enduring support and friendship of a large group of supporters, to whom I am hugely grateful,” she added.
“I look forward to working with colleagues in the Department of Education and across Government over the coming years to deliver on our shared vision of a better Ireland.”
