Economy

Caoimhe Archibald named Economy Minister in Sinn Féin reshuffle after Conor Murphy Seanad election | UTV


Sinn Fein’s Caoimhe Archibald is to become Stormont’s economy minister in a reshuffle prompted by the election of Conor Murphy to the Seanad.Party leader Mary Lou McDonald announced the shake-up of ministers in the power-sharing Executive which will also see Newry and Armagh MLA Liz Kimmins become the new Minister for Infrastructure.Ms Archibald will leave her role as Finance Minister to replace Mr Murphy as Economy Minister.Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd will be moved to Finance, with Ms Kimmins replacing him in the Infrastructure role.

Ms Kimmins formerly chaired the health committee. That role will now be taken on by MLA Philip McGuigan.Veteran minister Mr Murphy stood down after he was elected to the Seanad in the early hours of Monday morning.

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald said: “These changes will bring renewed energy, determination and focus as we drive forward our agenda to deliver for workers, families and communities.”

First Minister Michelle O’Neill said she believed the reshuffle would re-energise the Sinn Fein team.She said: “I think it shows a vote of confidence in the team that we have. We have very clear plans across all of our three departments.“We now have an opportunity with Conor moving on to the Seanad that we have an opportunity to promote another minister to come forward and I am delighted that Liz Kimmins is stepping forward into that role.”

Conor Murphy said his new job would be to advance the debate on Irish unification and bring a “northern perspective” to the conversation around planning for constitutional change.He said he also would lean on his ministerial experience to focus on issues around creating and maintaining all-island economic links.The former MP, who led Sinn Féin’s negotiating team in many political talks north of the border, secured one of nine seats on the Seanad’s industrial and commercial vocation panel.The electorate for what was one of five vocational panels in the Seanad poll was made up of TDs, outgoing senators and sitting councillors in the Republic of Ireland.“I’m delighted to be a northern voice in the Seanad,” he said, speaking at Leinster House.“I think there are northern voices needed there to give that all-Ireland perspective. So I am very much looking forward to the challenge.”Mr Murphy acknowledged it was “difficult to leave” his ministerial job at Stormont.“The Department for the Economy is a great department, and I very much value the work that we’ve done there, but I think we have put the department on the right trajectory, we’ve set the priorities for it,” he said.“So it really would be a matter of whoever replaces me following through on that work and implementing what we’ve put in place.”

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