Colleagues turn on Zappone over childcare
THERE’S a great freedom to being an Independent minister. You can make decisions free from the worry your parliamentary party will boil over and call for your head. You can introduce new policies, schemes and laws safe in the knowledge you won’t have to sit through a lengthy local branch meeting where your members will berate you for hours on end for letting them down.
There’s an even greater freedom to being an Independent Cabinet minister who did not get elected in the last election.
Not only do you not have to worry about disgruntled members, you also don’t have to worry about the electorate because it has already cast its judgment so it can be ignored too.
Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone finds herself in this position.
The former Enda Kenny appointee to the Seanad was successfully elected to the Dáil in 2016 before joining the then-Fine Gael leader’s government.
She was one of a number of Independent government ministers who were not rewarded by the electorate in February for taking the decision to prop up Fine Gael in power.
Like all caretaker ministers struggling to address the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms Zappone has found herself treading water in the deep end over the last three months.
At the start of the crisis, she pushed through a bailout for the childcare industry despite some resistance from her Cabinet colleagues. The funding was announced to put minds of crèche owners and workers at ease as the pandemic shut down society.
But there were complaints from her Cabinet colleagues that she moved too soon and suggestions the financial package was not fully developed when announced.
But a lot of Government decisions have to be made on the hoof due to the fast-moving nature of the coronavirus crisis.
For weeks, Zappone and her officials have been working on a childcare scheme for frontline workers.
Last Thursday, the scheme, which would have childcare providers look after children in the homes of frontline workers, was unveiled. Not long after it was announced, it emerged childcare providers who took part in the scheme would not be covered by insurance.
Seven days later, Ms Zappone cancelled the scheme entirely because just six childcare businesses signed up. To say her Cabinet colleagues are frustrated is an understatement.
“She’s been causing unbelievable grief for weeks and still didn’t manage to get it over the line,” one senior minister said.
Another Cabinet member added: “She has been asked to do one thing and it ends up a mess.”
Another Government source said: “Leo should have sacked her ages ago but he hates confrontation.”
To the Independent and unelected minister, their comments will be water off a duck’s back.