Kerry Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin has refused a position as a junior minister.
A spokesperson for the Kerry TD says he'll be issuing a statement later.
The 40-year-old had been tipped to take a position as minister of state; there had also been speculation that Deputy Griffin would be appointed givernment chief whip as he'd served as deputy government chief whip while Micheál Martin was Taoiseach, before the reshuffle.
The Keel man previously served as junior tourism and sports minister between 2017 and 2020.
In a statement Deputy Brendan Griffin says "it is with regret that I am unable to take on a ministerial position at this particular time due to family reasons. I will continue to carry out my duties as a TD for Kerry with commitment and dedication. I wish my friend and colleague, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, every success in his important work for our country and I thank him for considering me. I send my heartiest congratulations to my colleagues who have been appointed to ministerial roles and wish them well in their difficult work. They will all have my full support in their endeavours".
Congratulations to @LeoVaradkar on resuming the role of Taoiseach and to @1Hildegarde on her promotion to Gov Chief Whip. Commiserations to my good friend @BGriffinTD after performing the deputy chief whip role for the last 2 and half years with great ability, on being overlooked
— Seán Kyne 😷 (@SeanKyneGalway) December 17, 2022
