Government musical chairs

So what impact has the change of government had so far?

Not much I guess, although the usual post election musical chairs has taken place in government departments.

Here are some of the changes:
Was: Communications, Marine and Natural Resources
Now: Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Was: Transport
Now: Transport and Marine

Was: Agriculture and Food
Now: Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

These are the ones I've spotted, maybe there are others. I guess you have to ask the question - why? The main reason these departments are created is because there is a limit to the number of cabinet seats, so each minister gets a department that is often an mish-mash of fuctions, my favourite being DCENR, or as it was sometimes called when Dermot Ahern was minister for DCMNR, the "Department of Communciations and other stuff".

The effect is that the corporate entitities are created under a secretary general who generally tries to create synergy between the functions. The problem is of course that this creates a barrier between departments because if creates a false sense of identity based around common corporate functions within a department. Surely it would be better just to have individual departments, who got on with their own thing, and have each minister have these several departments report directly to him. In other words do away with Secrataries General altogher, and let assistant secreataries get on with it.

Don't be fooled by the move of the word Marine to the Dept. of Transport. This move actually happened before the election when most of the maritime functions of Marine were move to transport. What was left of marine has now moved to agriculture under the "Fisheries" name. I'm surprised that everyone who kicked up when and attempt was made to drop the word "Marine" at the formation of last governement haven't picked up on this. Effectively the Department of Marine is no more.