John Cummins TD appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

• Rapid elevation means Cummins makes history as one of only a small number of first time TD’s appointed to Ministerial ranks.

Taoiseach Michael Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris have today unveiled their line up of Ministers of State with first time Waterford TD John Cummins being appointed to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, a role which he has been spokesman for over the past five years in Seanad Eireann. The move marks a rapid elevation for the newly elected Waterford TD and places him at the centre of one of the most important departments for the government over the next five years.

Speaking following the announcement Deputy John Cummins said “I am absolutely delighted to have been appointed by Tánaiste Simon Harris and Taoiseach Michael Martin to a role which I feel I can hit the ground running on given my experience as a member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee for Housing, Local Government and Heritage over the past five years and my eleven years’ experience as a member of Waterford City and County Council”.

Newly appointed Minister Cummins will have special responsibility for Local Government and Planning within the Department of Housing. His elevation to the Ministerial ranks had been tipped by many commentators and journalists given his central role in the development of the programme for government but Deputy Cummins had remained tight lipped,playing down his chances in recent weeks.

“I was never distracted by all of the speculation that was surrounding the appointment of Ministers of State. Ultimately, such things are always a matter for the party leader and while I felt I did a solid job in my capacity as one of the Fine Gael negotiators during the development of the programme for government, that doesn’t give you an entitlement to become a Minister. There is a huge amount of talent within Fine Gael with twenty-three new TD’s bringing a wealth of new knowledge into the party and I know the Tánaiste will have given a great deal of consideration to these appointments.Naturally, I am honoured to have been chosen for this role andI assured the Tánaiste I will give everything to it”.

“I really want to thank everyone who has assisted me throughout my political career thus far, in particular my wife Inga, my parents, our amazing team of Fine Gael councillors across the county, my supporters and wider membership of Waterford Fine Gael, all of whom I simply couldn’t have done it without. Most importantly I want to thank the people of Waterford who placed their trust in me during November’s general election. I hope this appointment demonstrates the value of my election to Dail Eireann and I look forward to delivering for the people of Waterford.