The Government appointed Niall Collins TD as Minister of State in the Department of Agriculture with responsibility for forestry, horticulture and farm safety on Thursday.

Deputy Collins currently sits as a Fianna Fáil TD for Co Limerick and had been Minister of State at the Department of Justice with responsibility for international law, law reform and youth justice up until his new job in forestry.

The appointment will end the wait to replace former junior minister Micheal Healy Rae TD, who resigned from Government in dramatic fashion during the confidence motion held in the wake of the nationwide fuel protests earlier this month.

Prior to his election to Dáil Éireann, Deputy Collins trained as an accountant, lectured at Limerick Institute of Technology and held the position of deputy CEO of the Shannon Regional Fisheries Board.

Minister of State Collins will join Fine Gael’s Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon, as well as independent Minister of State Noel Grealish and Fianna Fáil colleague Minister of State Dooley at the Department of Agriculture.

Collaboration

Minister Heydon said is he looking forward to working collaboratively with the new junior minister in his Department.

“Forestry and horticulture are hugely important sectors for our economy and for our society and, of course, farm safety rightly permeates all the work we do,” Minister Heydon commented.

Minister Collins said he is “delighted to take up this role and I look forward to working with my new ministerial colleagues as I continue the momentum to achieve the ambitious objectives set out in the Department’s forestry and horticulture strategies.

“I am particularly looking forward to working to foster a positive culture in relation to farm safety and promoting the physical health and mental wellbeing of the farming community, an area of huge importance.”