Education Minister Norma Foley.
Government sources are remaining tight-lipped over a possible cabinet reshuffle that could see Minister for Education Norma Foley move to the Department of Finance.
Speculation is in overdrive as Taoiseach Simon Harris is due to announce the next EU Commissioner later this evening – expected to be Fianna Fáil and current Minister for Finance Michael McGrath – to replace Mairead McGuinness for the EU position as her term expires.
The impending move has thrown up three possible candidates as McGrath’s replacement: Education Minister Norma Foley, Junior Minister Dara Calleary, and Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien.
When contacted for a comment, a Government source revealed to The Kerryman that there are currently no plans in place for a change in personnel at the Department of Education and that all work is ongoing as normal.
Leaders from the three coalition parties are set to meet today (Monday) to discuss the replacement. As part of the tripartite government agreement, Fianna Fáil is in a position to pick the next EU Commissioner.
In February 2020, Norma Foley took the fifth and final seat in the Kerry constituency at the General Election.
She was appointed Minister for Education in June 2020 following the formation of the Government, and became the first Kerry woman to sit at the cabinet table.
Minister Foley presided over the difficult COVID years when schools were forced to close on medical advice. This created the difficult scenario of carrying on teaching and conducting examinations remotely, particularly the Leaving Cert.
