Unity of Green Party doesn't rest on who got Cabinet positions - Hourigan
Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan has said that she does not think the unity of the party rests on who got positions in the new Cabinet.
When asked on RTÉ radio’s Today with Sarah McInerney show if she was disappointed at not getting a junior ministry, Ms Hourigan said she was not going to complain on air about not getting a job as a newly elected TD.
The Dublin Central representative revealed that she had missed a call from Eamon Ryan before the Junior Ministerial appointments were announced because she was at a committee meeting and they had not had a chance to catch up with him since then.
When questioned about the gender balance of the appointments and if the Green Party was a party that welcomed women and wanted to promote them, Ms Hourigan replied: "I think there was more going on there than just the gender issue, but we need to do work on attracting more women and people from diverse backgrounds into the party.
“I think every party has a job of work to do in attracting women into politics, but as a female TD I don’t think it’s my role to explain away the decisions of other people, particularly senior men.”
Ms Hourigan, who has been the Green Party’s finance spokesperson said she suspected there will be a review of “who does what” within the party and she was uncertain if she would still be the finance spokesperson.
On Wednesday, Cabinet has approved the appointment of 17 junior ministers, completing the government lineup.
The new junior ranks, which will not sit at Cabinet, feature seven each from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and three from the Green Party.
