This article is from page 8 of the 2006-09-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern has this week described Clare junior minister Tony Killeen (right) as ministerial material.
In an interview with The Clare People the Taoiseach said, “Since his promotion to Minister for Labour Affairs, Tony Killeen has shown a great ability to solve complex problems and address issues of importance in the workplace.
“Tony has shown his capability as a minister, and I look forward to working with him up until the next election and beyond it.”
The Fianna Fail leader would not say, however, how many Fianna Fáil seats would have to be secured in the next election for a Clare minister to be appointed.
“There is no doubt that we want to regain the seat we lost here in 2002. Clare has always had a proud Fianna Fáil representation, and in the next election we will be going all out to take three seats,” he said.
With the departure of Minister for State Síle deValera from the political scene next summer, the Taoiseach said it was important Fianna Fáil put together a strong team to contest the next election.
“Brendan Daly has resolutely defended the interests of Clare people for many years, and I am confident that next summer he will return to the Dáil to continue his good work for the Clare people. Timmy Dooley completes our team. He brings energy and drive, ensures that issues which matter to the people of Clare are made priority and resolved,” said the Government leader.
He said the current Fianna Fáil representation of two Ministers of State and two senators meant that Clare retained a powerful voice in Dublin.
“After the next election, I am confident that Clare can again have three FF TDs who represent the county in the Dáil and in Government Departments,” added Mr Ahern.
“Fianna Fáil are proud of our record of delivery in Clare. Working with the people of Clare, we have made good progress across a wide spectrum of issues. Now we want to build on this progress,” he said.