When a minister in the Irish Government resigns or is dismissed, the Taoiseach nominates a successor and they are appointed instantly. They pick up the brief of their predecessor at exactly at the point they left off.

It is different with a European Commissioner, a role that has a similar function at EU level. They are nominated by the national government and have to be approved by the European Parliament, which takes time.

If ratified, Commission portfolios are allocated by the Commission President. Should this happen mid-term, as would be the case if Commissioner Hogan resigned, the Commission President is likely to allocate the important trade portfolio immediately to another commissioner. That would mean a newly appointed Irish Commissioner would find themselves left with a different brief in the Commission.

The negotiations have been led by Michel Barnier on behalf of the Commission and all the indications are that these are not going well

There has been a particular focus on the role of the Commissioner for Trade as the EU and UK negotiate a future trading relationship to replace the UK membership of the EU. The negotiations have been led by Michel Barnier on behalf of the Commission and all the indications are that these are not going well.

It may be argued that the presence of Commissioner Hogan is neither here nor there when it comes to concluding these negotiations. However, the reality is that since before the UK referendum, Hogan was the person nominated by the Commission to speak on Brexit and he has lived with the issue for almost five years now.