Mr Noel Treacy, the Fianna Fail TD from Galway East promoted to the position of Minister of State yesterday, has served as Minister of State in a number of Departments during his political career.
Mr Treacy takes over from Mr Michael Smith as Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science and at the Depart of Enterprise Trade and Employment with special responsibility for science and technology.
The 45-year-old TD was sacked as Minister of State at the Department of Justice in 1991 when he supported a motion of no confidence in the then party leader, Mr Charles Haughey.
Two other junior ministers were removed at the same time for the same reason: Ms Maire Geoghegan-Quinn and Mr Smith.
Mr Treacy was reinstated in the Department of Finance a few months later when Mr Albert Reynolds became Taoiseach but is understood to have been disappointed as he had been expecting a Cabinet post.
Mr Treacy was Minister of State with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works during the bitter controversy over the Mullaghmore interpretative centre.
The former auctioneer from Ballinasloe, Co Galway, was appointed Minister of State at the Departments of the Taoiseach, Finance, and Transport, Energy and Communications, with special responsibility for Energy, in 1993, a position he served in until the collapse of the Reynolds government.
He was Minister of State at the Department of Finance, with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works and the Central Development Committee between 1992 to 1993.
He was Minister of State at the Department of Health from 1989 to 1991, at the Department of Finance from 1987 to 1989, and at the Department of the Taoiseach from 1988 to 1989.
Mr Treacy was first elected to the Dail in May 1982 in a by-election. He was Fianna Fail deputy spokesman on Defence from 1983 to 1987.
Mr Treacy is married to Mary Cloonan and the couple have four daughters.