It may not be the biggest reshuffle in political history but new SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell has announced plans to change his party's only
Executive minister next year.
Environment Minister Alex Attwood will be replaced by another member of the party as part of a plan by the SDLP to rotate the post every 18 months.
Mr. McDonnell said it is not about a lack of faith in Mr. Attwood, but about strengthening the party. The South Belfast MP took over the leadership of the SDLP in November from Margaret Ritchie and promised root and branch reform of the beleaguered party.
"The problem we have is we have one ministry and a chairmanship and a couple of vice-chairmanships," he said.
"What people are saying to me is that they want the cake shared out and I'm intending to share it out.
"I'm saying very plainly at the beginning of the new year that I will be sharing the cake out and there's no implications in that positively or negatively."
It is expected that Mr. Attwood will be replaced in the summer of 2013.
The SDLP has been on the back foot in its battle with Sinn Féin since 2001. Although the party polled ahead of the Ulster Unionists in May's Assembly election it lost two seats.
The party's failure at the polls was blamed on former leader Margaret Ritchie's media performances which eventually led to a leadership
challenge in the autumn.
While some political observers have speculated that Alasdair McDonnell may take the SDLP out of the Stormont Executive and become an opposition to the Sinn Féin-DUP led government, he has ruled this out, preferring to rotate his party's only ministry.
