Cowen to unveil new team of 15 junior ministers
Taoiseach Brian Cowen is set to unveil his new team of junior ministers today, with most commentators predicting minimal change.
Cowen is reducing the overall number of junior ministers from 20 to 15 and had asked all the previous appointees to hand in their resignations by yesterday evening.
It remains unclear if he will name any new faces in the new team today or if he will simply choose to reappoint 15 of the outgoing ministers.
Rough calculations suggest the cull will save the taxpayer around €2.5m a year, but any ministers losing their jobs will be entitled to loss-of-earnings compensation of up to €53,000.
Meanwhile, the Dáil also resumes business today after its Easter break.
