Posted online: Mar 24th, 2010

By Lauren Harte
Reporter

After weeks of speculation, Minister Mary Coughlan was appointed as the new Minister for Education yesterday and will also retain her senior position in Cabinet as Tánaiste.
Ms Coughlan’s surprise move to the Ministry of Education and Science is part of a swap in the Cabinet reshuffle announced by Taoiseach Brian Cowen in the Dáil yesterday afternoon. It means that outgoing Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe is to take over her previous portfolio as Minister in charge of the newly named Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation.
This latest appointment is just one of a number held by the 44-year-old former social worker and present Donegal South West TD in recent years. She was appointed to the role of Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment in May 2008. Previously she held the Agriculture portfolio from 2007, was appointed Minister for Social and Family Affairs in 2002 and served as a Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. She has been a TD since 1987 when she became the second youngest person ever to be elected to the Dáil.
Responding to Ms Coughlan’s new appointment, local Fine Gael TD Dinny McGinley told the Donegal Post he would be bringing the many requests from schools in South West Donegal to the attention of her new Department.
“I wish to congratulate Mary on remaining in Cabinet and being appointed to such a senior ministerial position. Education is a very exciting yet challenging department. There are plenty of schools in this constituency looking for extensions and I will certainly be bringing these to her immediate attention.”
In a statement, Sinn Féin Senator Pearse Doherty described her tenure as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment as “a wasted opportunity” to create jobs and curb unemployment in Donegal.