After  all the  chaos and controversy that followed  the resignation of six Cabinet ministers, An Taoiseach Mr  Brian Cowen announced today that  the general election will take place on Friday March 11 .

In  the Dail  this afternoon the Taoiseach said the coalition Government would continue in power until the Finance Bill, giving effect to Budget 2011,

and other important legislation is passed. After which he intends to dissolve the government

Mr Cowen said: "I believe it is important in the weeks ahead that the Government gives legislative effect to the Budget through the enactment of the Finance Bill and other related Bills which benefit the people.

"There`s nothing more important than doing precisely that."

 In the last 24 hours five ministers had handed in their resignation  – Mary Harney from health, Dermot Ahern from justice, Noel Dempsey from transport, Tony Kileen from defence, and Batt O’Keefe from enterprise.

Their departures came on the back of the resignation of Micheal Martin from foreign affairs on Tuesday night after a failed leadership challenge.

Mr Cowen was widely believed to be plotting a reshuffle to fill the empty Cabinet seats after Mr Dempsey claimed the announcement of resignations was in the planning for weeks.

But in an apparent U-turn under pressure from junior coalition Government partners the Green Party, the portfolios were being reassigned.

Tanaiste (deputy PM) Mary Coughlan, already in charge of education, will take on health, Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith takes on justice, Social Protection Minister Eamon O Cuiv has been given the defence brief

, and Pat Carey, Minister for Gaeltacht, Community and Rural Affairs, has control of transport. Tourism Minister Mary Hanifan  has been asked to take the Enterprise portfolio.

Mr Cowen retains control of the foreign affairs department .

He dismissed the opposition's claims that he had attempted a stunt to fill the departmental positions with hand-picked general election candidates.

"I challenge the politically correct view that it was for the purpose of a stunt. Far from it," the Taoiseach said.

"I give you my view because what this election is about is the future of the country. What this election is about is that we have the people of talent and ability to put that case."

No Green TD  had attended the Dail chamber when  statement was been read out .

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said the Taoiseach had given “finality and conclusion and clarity” to the issue. He hoped that this would restore “some sense of authority and respect and dignity to this House”.

Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore offered his best wishes on a personal level to the departing ministers but said they could have stayed in office until the election.

 He welcomed the fact that a date has been set for the election "at long last", but said the Taoiseach could have made the announcement this morning and "avoided the chaos”.

“The Taoiseach attempted a stroke and it backfired,” Mr Gilmore said. “He ended up as a Taoiseach without authority. He no longer has the authority to do the most essential thing for a Taoiseach,

 which is to appoint the members of Government.”

Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caolain said Mr Cowen was “a lame duck Taoiseach, with a lame duck Government”.

Mr Ó Caolain also pointed to the absence of any Green Party TDs in the chamber. “That speaks louder than anything else here in this moment in time. They quite clearly were not up for it, they felt this was the straw that would break the camel’s back,” he said.

Mr Cowen denied he was engaging in any “stunts”. Ministers believed it was important they resign because they would not be accountable at the election, he said. Other than Mr Martin, all of the Ministers who resigned have announced that they do not intend to contest the forthcoming election.

The Taoiseach said he reassigned the portfolios to existing members of Cabinet because he had not wanted any additional cost to the State to be involved in the appointments.

"I believe it would be far better that … new nominees would be people in a position to go out and advocate and defend our position in Government for the past three-and-a-half years,” he said. "That will enable the people on March 11th to consider what parties, all of whom will be competing for power not walking away from power, they wish to elect.

"I challenge the politically correct view that it was for the purpose of a stunt. Far from it,” he said. "What this election is about is the future of this country."