Denis Naughten

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Denis Naughten (born June 2, 1973) is an Irish Fine Gael politician. He has been a TD since 1997 for Longford-Roscommon and Fine Gael Spokesperson for Agriculture.

Naughten was born in Drum County Roscommon. He was educated St. Aloysius College, Athlone, University College Dublin and University College Cork where he did a research project in Food Microbiology. Naughten was appointed to Seanad Éireann in 1997 to the seat vacant since the death of his father, Liam Naughten on November 16, 1996. That year he was elected to the lower house of Dáil Éireann and was re-elected in the 2002 General Election. Within his first few weeks in the Dáil he became Fine Gael spokesperson for Youth Affairs, School Transport & Adult Education. Between 2000 and 2001 he served as Opposition Spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade & Employment. Although indicating that he might, Naughten declined to stand in the party's leadership election in 2002. He was later appointed spokesperson on Transport. In Enda Kenny's Front Bench reshuffle in 2004 Naughten received his current position of spokesperson on Agriculture.