The Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, says he intends to put his name forward to replace Trevor Sargent as leader of the Green Party.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio's This Week programme, Mr Gormley said he believed he had the experience to lead the Greens through an important transition, from a party of opposition to a party of Government.
The minister said, if elected, he would do everything in his power to ensure the party membership was 'kept in the loop', particularly Green councillors.
On the controversial M3 motorway near Tara, Mr Gormley said he was not attempting to undermine the position of the State's chief archaeologist, Brian Duffy, by appointing a special committee to oversee work at the Lismullen archaeological site.
He said it was for reasons of openness and transparency that he was going to release internal departmental documentation relating to the Lismullen site near week.
Mr Gormley added he still views incineration as the disposal of waste rather than waste recovery, despite an EU Council decision last week.
