Will the Taoiseach say what the poor people of Ireland did to deserve Deputy Brennan as Minister for Social and Family Affairs? He does not want the job. Clearly he has no interest in it. He got it by accident and poor people who are marginalised and unemployed are now going to have as their advocate and champion at the Cabinet table a man who would prefer to be doing anything else. Did Deputy Brennan threaten to resign his seat, as is reported, when he learned that Deputy Kitt was to be in the Cabinet and that he was to be dropped? Were representations made to retain him and if so, by whom, and how is it that he ended up in the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

Will the Taoiseach say if he got a letter of resignation from the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy McDaid? Deputy McDaid said he was sacked. If he was sacked it would require a Government decision, which meant the Taoiseach came to the House with 18 rather than 17 junior Ministers if Deputy McDaid had not been removed by Government decision. I do not want to start any shockwaves in sub-Saharan Africa at the prospect of my constituency colleague, Deputy Conor Lenihan, being deprived of his office, but is he appointed properly? Will the Taoiseach say how he reconciles all of this with Inchydoney? At Inchydoney the message was that the social inclusion agenda was at the top of Fianna Fáil priorities. How is it now that we have ended up with Deputy Brennan in the Department of Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Harney in the Department of Health and Children——

Labour had Deputy De Rossa in social welfare for long enough.

——and Deputy McDowell in charge of equality? How can any of that be reconciled? If the Taoiseach believes these Ministers were not performing in their existing Departments, why should anyone believe they will perform in their new Departments? These are the same tired, failed old faces — no change — and the Taoiseach says that by shuffling them around we can somehow expect a better performance.

I assure Deputy Rabbitte that Deputy Brennan will be a very good Minister for Social and Family Affairs.

The Taoiseach is the only one who thinks that.

As someone who has been a good constituency politician, caring for the welfare of his constituents, I believe he is well suited for that change from his last post of transport——

What about the Luas?

I believe he will do an excellent job. I do not believe he will be quite as Scrooge-like as Deputy Rabbitte's former colleague and the president of his party, who only gave £1.50 to the old people when he had the limited opportunity of looking after them. Deputy Brennan will be far more caring. He will demonstrate this tonight when he talks about the carers' issue in the House.

What normally happens as regards the appointment of Ministers and Ministers of State is that Ministers resign. Whether they are resigning, as in this case, or whether they are asked to resign, I receive letters of resignation. In the case of Deputy McDaid, when I met him on Wednesday, I did not ask him for a letter of resignation. I did that on Thursday morning. When I gave the list of appointments to the House on Thursday morning, I had not received that letter. I now have the letter from Deputy McDaid, so the statutory duty is fulfilled.

I will finalise that regulation when I give the individual Ministers——