Editing Pat Rabbitte (section)

===Ministerial career: 2011–2014===
[[Image:Pat Rabbitte, May 2015 (cropped).jpg|thumb|200px|Rabbitte in 2015]]
On 9 March 2011, Rabbitte was appointed [[Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Appointment of Members of Government; Assignment of Departments of State|date=15 March 2011|journal=[[Iris Oifigiúil]]|url=https://irisoifigiuil.ie/archive/2011/march/IR150311.pdf|issue=21|volume=2011|pages=380–381, 383|access-date=10 August 2021|archive-date=10 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810130906/https://irisoifigiuil.ie/archive/2011/march/IR150311.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The journalist [[Fintan O'Toole]], writing in ''[[The Irish Times]]'' in August 2011, criticised the lack of royalties system for gas and oil in Ireland. He claimed: "The State is about to sign away almost all our resources on terms by far the worst in the developed world".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2011/0816/1224302525090.html|title=Let's make Norway joint owner of our oil and gas|work=[[Irish Times]]|date=16 August 2011|first=Fintan|last=O'Toole|access-date=18 August 2011|archive-date=18 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818123111/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2011/0816/1224302525090.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Rabbitte responded with a letter, claiming that the article was inaccurate.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2011/0818/1224302638286.html|title=Oil firms will shun us if we have Norwegian-style taxes|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|date=18 August 2011|access-date=18 August 2011|archive-date=18 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110818184435/https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2011/0818/1224302638286.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Rabbitte's response was in turn criticised by [[Cian O'Callaghan]],&nbsp;a Labour Party member of [[Fingal County Council]], as "misguided".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2011/0819/1224302708018.html|title=Sharing energy with Norway|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|date=19 August 2011|access-date=21 August 2011|archive-date=18 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118091036/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2011/0819/1224302708018.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In July 2014, Rabbitte was replaced by [[Alex White (Irish politician)|Alex White]] as part of a reshuffle of the cabinet. He did not contest the [[2016 Irish general election|2016 general election]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thejournal.ie/rabbitte-2201860-Jul2015/|title=Pat Rabbitte will NOT be contesting the next general election|work=TheJournal.ie|date=6 July 2015|access-date=13 August 2015|archive-date=10 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910021748/http://www.thejournal.ie/rabbitte-2201860-Jul2015/|url-status=live}}</ref>