A Waterford TD says he is preparing for the possibility now of becoming the Minister for Health, after keeping his role as Sinn Féin's Health Spokesperson.
Party leader, Mary Lou McDonald, announced a reshuffle to her front bench yesterday, which saw a total of 10 changes.
The Public Expenditure, Transport and Communications, and Social Protection portfolios are among those now changing hands.
"Well, obviously I'm pleased that I personally kept the health portfolio," Deputy Cullinane told WLR News, "but I think some of the changes were also important for people who are being maybe switched from one portfolio to the other.
"It's also a vote of confidence in them that they are moving on to other areas and obviously a mix and a change can sometimes be good as well.
"So, I think that the total reshuffle has been a very positive one, a very constructive one. Everybody on the team has something to offer.
"What we need to do now is to prepare for the next general election."
Deputy Cullinane was appointed to that role in his party in April of 2020, when the global Covid-19 pandemic was in its infancy.
Now, almost exacly three years on, he says his work will continue to further inform Sinn Féin's health policy.
"Over the next number of months I plan to go back out and meet as many hospital managers, consultants, nurses, doctors [as possible], but also health advocate groups and healthcare trade unions," he said.
"I and the party will start to develop what will be an election manifesto and the commitments that we will give if we have a Sinn Féin government and a Sinn Féin Minister for Health.
"And it's really important, from my perspective, that I put forward credible, realistic and deliverable proposals."
Deputy Mary Lou McDonald has said that the party's front bench, following Monday's reshuffle, is the iteration of Sinn Féin that she sees leading them into the next election, which she says should happen as soon as possible.
"Obviously, we don't have confidence in this government," Deputy Cullinane continued, "and we have said that time and again.
"We think that they have run out of ideas and out of time and they don't have the solutions to the big problems, whether it's housing - and we saw that with the eviction ban - with healthcare... We simply are not getting the good government that we need.
"I believe that Sinn Féin has the people, we have the resources, and we have the capacity within the team to be able to fight a general election campaign.
"But for me it has to be a positive one, where we set out what it is we want to do."
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