Cowen told to fire four ministers in cuts plan
Cullen and O Cuiv face axe if Taoiseach sanctions shake-up
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Tuesday June 30 2009
TAOISEACH Brian Cowen will have to sack two senior and two junior ministers if he accepts proposed public sector cuts.
The chairman of the so-called An Bord Snip Nua, Colm McCarthy, is recommending that Mr Cowen "review" the entire operation of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
It would mean Mr Cowen would have to sack Arts Minister Martin Cullen and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Eamon O Cuiv, as well as their junior ministers Martin Mansergh and John Curran.
A government source said Mr McCarthy's agency would "advise of the need for a review of the whole departments and how they operate and the rationale for keeping them in their present format or for keeping them at all".
If the Government decides to split the departments and transfer their responsibilities to some of the other 13 departments, it would leave Mr Cullen and Mr O Cuiv without a key ministerial position.
If Mr Cowen accepts the recommendations, it will have huge ramifications within his own party.
But if he doesn't, it will be seen as portraying a lack of political courage to take tough action as the cost of the public service escalates.
The Government will consider the radical proposal as it battles to keep a lid on public sector pay.
New figures published by the Central Statistics Office yesterday confirmed the average weekly earnings in the public sector (excluding health) rose by 3.4pc in the 12 months to March despite the worst recession in living memory. This compares to a rise of 3.2pc in the year to December.
Average weekly earnings in the public sector here rose by 12.2pc from March 2006 to March 2009, making Irish civil servants among the highest paid in the EU.
The proposed overhaul of departments would also facilitate a Cabinet reshuffle, which Mr Cowen had already pencilled in for the autumn.
Mr O Cuiv's department could be replaced by a new Department of Culture, which would take responsibility for some aspects of arts and sport, with tourism tipped to transfer to the Department of Enterprise.
That would leave Mr Cullen without a portfolio, unless Mr Cowen decided to switch him to a new department as part of a general reshuffle.
It has also been widely speculated that Tanaiste and Enterprise Minister Mary Coughlan will face demotion in the wake of widespread criticism of her performance.
Her department could also be reshaped, with some of its responsibilities going to a new department focusing on labour and employment.
If the Taoiseach decides to review the make-up of the Government departments, it will mean an anxious summer wait for all his senior ministers.
But it will also ensure that they remain committed to seriously campaigning for a 'Yes' vote in the Lisbon Treaty referendum.
If Mr Cowen decided to reduce the number of 15 government departments, he is not legally prevented from doing so.
Under the Constitution, the Government can have no fewer than seven and not more than 15.
Abolition
Fianna Fail TD Mattie McGrath, who has repeatedly called for the abolition of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, last night described it as one of the "sleeping departments" and said its functions could be easily merged into other departments.
"There are huge cuts coming down the line. It's a department we don't need. We don't need a full department. We should have more economic and enterprise departments at this point in time to work our way out of the mess," Mr McGrath said.
Finance Minister Brian Lenihan is due to finally receive the An Bord Snip Nua report this week. The report, which outlines how the Government can obtain €5bn in cutbacks ahead of the December Budget, will also recommend a significant downsizing of the public sector, which saw its numbers increase by over 70,000 in 10 years.
- Aine Kerr and Brendan Keenan
