Patrick O’Donovan was consulted on which Fine Gael minister would take over his portfolio

PATRICK O’DONOVAN WAS consulted on which Fine Gael minister would take over his portfolio, a government spokesperson has said. 

Enterprise Minister Peter Burke was assigned the functions of the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport until O’Donovan has recovered. 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin agreed to a request from Tánaiste Simon Harris to allow Burke to take over the media minister’s functions, it was confirmed today.

O’Donovan became ill as he hosted EU telecommunications ministers at an event in Limerick last month.

Over the summer, the minister spoke about being diagnosed with epilepsy. After being treated at University Hospital Limerick, he was released and is now recovering at home. 

There has been much written and speculated about a phone call that took place directly before O’Donovan and Harris prior to him taking ill.

Harris has staunchly denied that it was a tetchy or angry exchange.

In the last week, Harris has spoken about how “annoyed” he was as party leader to learn that a Fine Gael minister had spoken to The Sunday Times about O’Donovan’s illness and future as a minister. 

O’Donovan called the anonymous briefing by one of his party colleagues a “slap in the face”.

A number of ministers, such as Harris, Defence Minister Helen McEntee and Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, have all denied they anonymously briefed The Sunday Times. 

Responding to questions from the media today about whether O’Donovan was consulted about what Fine Gael minister would take over his responsibilities while absent, a spokesperson said following consultation between the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Ministers O’Donovan and Burke, a decision was reached that the enterprise minister would take over the brief. 

A government spokesperson said: 

“Whilst Minister O’Donovan was consulted in relation to the reassignment of his role, the reassignment of ministerial functions was a decision of the Taoiseach following a request from the Tánaiste whose prerogative it was to assign the functions to Minister Burke.” 

A spokesman for Harris said O’Donovan’s return to work would be “guided by medical advice”. 

The spokesman also told reporters that Harris had trust in his cabinet members and full confidence in O’Donovan.