Local Senator Gabrielle McFadden has been appointed as chair of the Parliamentary Party Sectoral Committee on Defence by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny.
Senator McFadden adds the position to her roles as Government Chief Whip in the Seanad, the first female appointed to this position, and Government Seanad spokesperson on Defence.
The object of this chairmanship is that where the Minister of a particular Department is unavailable, the chair of the relevant Sectoral Committee is the next port of call for members of the parliamentary party.
Furthermore, when the Minister is unavailable to address the parliamentary party, the chairperson will address the meeting on the Minister’s behalf. The chairperson will also meet with groups from time to time who wish to make representations or presentations to a Minister, and will liaise between both parties.
Senator McFadden said she is “honoured and privileged” to be appointed to such a role and in particularly to the Defence Ministry, as her family had a long association with the Army and it is a portfolio which she has “long been passionate about”.
