Kerry's new senior minster says she will do her best to serve the people of Kerry.
Fianna Fáil's Norma Foley says it was a huge shock when she was appointed Minister for Education by Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Saturday.
Minister Foley says the reopening of schools will have to be done with the best public health advice in consultation with all stakeholders, including parents and students.
She says she will be bringing a collective approach to her ministry.
Minister Foley says it is important to reboot and reopen the economy in a safe way and is very conscious of the impact of COVID-19 on the Irish tourism sector:
Meanwhile, Educate Together has warmly welcomed Norma Foley’s appointment as Education Minister.
It’s looking forward to working with Minister Foley in the coming weeks to agree concrete plans to reopen schools safely.
Educate Together says it is a serious cause for concern that schools don’t yet have clarity and additional resources to reopen in two months’ time.
It also says it is looking forward to working with Minister Foley on the issues of additional teacher allocations and education equality.