Laois Offaly senator 'humbled' to be reappointed by Leo Varadkar

Laois Offaly's Green Party representative in Government says she is 'humbled and grateful' to be back at the Government after her reappointment by Leo Varadkar.

Though not a senior minister, Laois Offaly Senator was among those invited to Áras an Uachtaráin where President Michael D Higgins presented the seals of office to new minsters, all of whom were members of the last Government.

The Geashill based Senator sits at Cabinet as a so-called super junior minister by virtue of a deal done which saw the Greens join Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in Government in 2020. She helped negotiate the programme for Government.

"It has been the honour of my life to serve as Minister for the last two and a half years and I am humbled and grateful to be reappointed today. I owe a debt of gratitude to Eamon Ryan for the belief he continues to have in me, and for his leadership since I joined the party in 2016. More below picture.

"I want to pay tribute to Micheál Martin for how he has led government. He has shown immense leadership in challenging times, and yet was always approachable, collegiate, and kind.

"His sincere concern on climate and biodiversity shone through, and I know he’ll continue to support those issues as Tánaiste.

"I also want to congratulate Leo Varadkar on becoming Taoiseach again, and look forward to getting to work immediately on issues that affect the lives of people in Laois and Offaly and working in my role as Minister to continue to build a sustainable and more equal future for Irish agriculture," said Ms Hackett.

Cabinet reshuffle: the details

There was no return to Cabinet for Barry Cowen or Charlie Flanagan while Sean Fleming will learn on Tuesday, December 19 if he is to retain junior ministry post.