Young officially Minister of Communications

Stuart Young is now officially the Minister of Communications, a post he has long considered to have held in a de facto capacity as one of the government's key spokesmen.

In a release today, the Office of the Prime Minister said Dr Keith Rowley gave instructions to President Paula-Mae Weekes to appoint Young to his new position, removing the portfolio from Marlene McDonald, leaving her with responsibility for Public Administration only.

Young on the other hand will add to his already packed schedule, which includes his role as a Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs, and Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister.

Young has been dubbed by the Opposition as "Minister of Everything" because of his omnipresence in many aspects of governance. He regularly chairs the post-Cabinet media briefing, and frequently accompanies Dr Rowley on official foreign trips, including the recent trip to China and Australia. He also oversees key energy discussions, even going to Venezuela to discuss the Dragon deal with that country's oil minister Manuel Quevedo.

The Ministry of Public Administration and Communications is one of Rowley's most shuffled ministries. Originally two separate ministries, with Public Administration under Randall Mitchell (now Minister of Tourism), before merging with Communications, then helmed by Maxi Cuffie. Cuffie remained the substantive minister even while he was on extended sick leave, Rowley handling the portfolio.

In April, Marlene McDonald was appointed a minister in the ministry, and one day later, switching to lead, with Cuffie as her deputy. It is unclear in which ministry Cuffie will be serving. Cuffie has been on leave since September 2017 following an extended illness. Newsday had exclusively reported in February that Cuffie's medical bills had cost taxpayers nearly $1 million.