Who are the candidates to replace Damien English?
English With Issue Resigned Has An Planning A Damien Application Over
Three names have emerged already in the race to replace Damien English as Fine Gael’s junior enterprise minister.
A spokesman for Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the decision will be finalised “this week”.
While the temptation will be to improve Fine Gael’s female ministerial representation, the elevation of Jennifer Carroll MacNeill in December means there is no longer an obvious female candidate for consideration, with Dublin Rathdown TD Neale Richmond said to be in pole position.
The first-time TD and former senator emerged as a frequent unofficial spokesman for the Varadkar-led government during the various ups and downs during Brexit on Irish and UK media.
A competent if combative performer, Richmond was seen to be unlucky not to have been promoted in December.
Richmond has described the position of Irish neutrality as "morally degenerate".
Prior to his election to the Seanad, he served for seven years between 2009 and 2016 on Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.
First elected to the Dáil in 2007, Carey is the son of Donal Carey, who was a TD and senator.
The low-key TD has served as a deputy Fine Gael whip and has served as a junior spokesman on justice, with special responsibility for juvenile justice.
He has never held a senior portfolio in opposition or in government but had been linked with a junior ministry before Christmas on foot of his geographical location.
The Fingal TD has been in the Dáil since 2011 and has served on a number of high-profile committees, including the Public Accounts Committee. He served as chair of the Committee on Children and Youth Affairs from 2016 to 2020.
He beat James Reilly in 2016 to hold on to the one Fine Gael seat in 2016 and was re-elected again in 2020 despite a tough day for his party.
Farrell courted controversy when he alleged he suffered neck and shoulder issues which affected his personal and professional life for up to 18 months following a car accident in Drumcondra on April 9, 2015.
In court, having seen a picture of Farrell up a ladder with an election poster at the time he claimed he was injured, Judge Michael Coghlan ruled Farrell did not suffer a “significant injury” and only awarded him €2,500.