Laois Minister Sean Fleming "very pleased" with new role

Minister Sean Fleming is looking forward to his new role as Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs. 

He was appointed Minister of State with responsibility for International Development, Cooperation and Diaspora in the Department of Foreign Affairs having completed his time as Minister of State at the Department of Finance. 

“It is a different role completely and it is going to be a new challenge,” Minister Fleming said shortly after his appointment earlier today. 

He said he was “very pleased” that he would be working alongside Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin in the Department.  “We know each other very well over a long number of years,” Minister Fleming said. 

Minister Fleming said he always knew a Fine Gael TD would be taking over his role at the Department of Finance once a Fianna Fail TD took over from Fine Gael’s Paschal Donohue as Minister of Finance. The arrangement means both parties have a Minister at the Department.

“I knew from day one that once a Fianna Fail Minister came in I would have to move,” he said.  “Some people might have over read that and said I was gone,” he remarked. 

Minister Fleming said he was “hopeful” of a new Ministerial position given his track record in finance over the past two years. 

Laois TD defies rumours to hold on to Ministerial job

To work with Micheál Martin in Foreign Affairs

Minister Fleming is now focused on the challenge ahead and said the role can be broken into two parts. One is for the Irish diaspora, or people of Irish descent overseas, to promote Ireland as the place where they came from. 

The second part of the role concerns the work of development agencies overseas.  Minister Fleming said he is hoping to meet and sit down with Irish based NGOs(Non Governmental Organisations) and charities who work overseas next month.  He expects “a big increase in funding” for overseas development projects next year.  

When asked if the role will mean he has spend a lot of time travelling, Minister Fleming said:

“There will be places that I will have to visit representing the people of Ireland. However, I will set my own policies on that…I won’t be spending too much time abroad.”

Minister Fleming insisted he would continue working hard for the people of Laois. He pointed to the €14 million recently secured for the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise and the IDA’s purchase of 45 acres in Portlaoise. “We now have that and the State owns that,” he said.

Minister Fleming said the IDA are now in a much stronger position when trying to sell Laois as a place for international companies to set up. He explained that they can bring interested parties to the site and show them where they can set up. “If you are building a house the first thing you have to do is buy a site,” he remarked.