Minister for Culture, Sport and Communications, Patrick O’Donovan, has stepped down from his duties as he continues to recover from a seizure he suffered last month. 

The Fine Gael TD, who has been open about his struggle with photosensitivity in the past, was rushed to hospital after having a seizure during a meeting with EU ministers in Limerick last month. 

As the minister recovered, speculation regarding his future role both within the party and the government continued to circulate. 

It has now been confirmed that Minister O’Donovan will temporarily step down from his portfolio, with his duties being assigned to Enterprise Minister Peter Burke. 

O’Donovan stressed that he has been ‘heartened’ by the well wishes sent by supporters as he continued his recovery over the past few weeks. 

He said: ‘I want to particularly thank the Taoiseach for his consistent and ongoing support for me and for my work, which I look forward to returning to in due course.

‘I want to thank Minister Burke for temporarily agreeing to assume my responsibilities in the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport.’ 

It is understood that Tánaiste Simon Harris had made the request for Burke to take over the functions of Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, with Taoiseach Michael Martin supporting the move. 

The 49-year-old TD had become unwell after suffering a seizure during an EU meeting, resulting in him spending some time in the intensive care unit. 

This came after Minister O’Donovan hit out against anonymous briefings that had suggested he could be demoted from the Cabinet due to health issues. 

The TD had suffered from a similar incident with his health in Brussels over the summer. 

Speaking on speculation that this would lead to his demotion from the Cabinet, he said it was a ‘slap in the face’ and the ‘ultimate betrayal’. 

Simon Harris would later reveal that he had been the last senior Government member to speak to O’Donovan before the most recent incident, but stressed it was nothing more than a routine chat. 

Speaking after his return from paternity leave, the Fine Gael leader revealed: ‘I met with Patrick last night and with his family. And yes, I did speak to him on Tuesday during that conference. Conversations that I have with my ministers are private. The way I’ve seen them characterised is inaccurate.

‘Patrick is doing well. I look forward to welcoming Patrick back to work. It was really good to be with him and with his family last week.

‘I don’t generally, by the way, provide a call log. I have frequent conversations with all of my ministers. It’d be a bit bizarre if I didn’t.’