Mary Hanafin
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| Mary Hanafin TD |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 07 May 2008 |
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| Taoiseach | Brian Cowen |
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| Preceded by | Martin Cullen |
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| In office 29 September 2004 – 07 May 2008 |
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| Taoiseach | Bertie Ahern |
| Preceded by | Noel Dempsey |
| Succeeded by | Batt O'Keeffe |
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| Born | 1 June 1959 Thurles, Ireland |
| Political party | Fianna Fáil |
| Spouse | Eamon Leahy (deceased) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Mary Hanafin (Irish: Máire Ní Ainifín; born 1 June 1959) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and the current Minister for Social and Family Affairs. She has previously served as Minister for Education & Science. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for Dún Laoghaire since 1997.
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[edit] Background and personal life
Mary Hanafin was born in Thurles, County Tipperary in 1959, into a family that had a strong association with the Fianna Fáil political party. Her father, Des Hanafin, was heavily involved with the party at local and national levels in the 1960s, later serving as a Senator at various times for over twenty-five years from 1969 until 2002. Hanafin’s brother, John Gerard Hanafin, is also involved in national politics and, like his father before him, is a member of the Seanad.
Hanafin was educated at the Presentation Convent in Thurles and St. Patrick’s College in Maynooth receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree. She subsequently worked as a secondary school teacher of Irish and History in the Dominican College in Blackrock, County Dublin. Hanafin also obtained a diploma in legal studies at the Dublin Institute of Technology.
Hanafin was married to Eamon Leahy, a senior counsel. He died suddenly in 2003.
[edit] Early political career
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This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008) |
Hanafin was involved in politics from an early age. Her father, Des Hanafin, as well as being a senator for Fianna Fáil, was a founding member of The Society For the Protection of the Unborn Child (SPUC) [1] and a staunch opponent of women's rights, including contraception, abortion and divorce. She joined Ógra Fianna Fáil aged fifteen and spoke at her first Ard Fheis two years later. Hanafin first became involved in national politics in 1980 when, at the age of twenty-one, she was elected to the Fianna Fáil national executive, the party’s ruling body.
In 1985 she was[citation needed] one of only nine national executive members to vote against the expulsion of the dissident Desmond O'Malley from the party. This was[citation needed] contrary to an instruction from the party leader, Charles Haughey, that O’Malley should be expelled. That same year, Hanafin was elected to Dublin City Council.
Hanafin unsuccessfully contested a Dáil seat in the 1989 general election. She lost her seat as a city councillor in 1991 and became involved in the running of the Fianna Fáil party. She was elected as national treasurer in 1993.
Hanafin is also a former President of the National Youth Council of Ireland.
[edit] Dáil Éireann career
Hanafin was elected to the Dáil Éireann as candidate on her second attempt at the 1997 general election. In her first few years as a TD she served on a number of Oireachtas committees, including Education & Science, Heritage & the Irish language and Justice, Equality & Women’s Affairs. In 2000, Hanafin was appointed Minister of State (with special responsibility for Children), one of a number of new junior ministry positions created by the Government in 1997. She topped the poll in her constituency at the 2002 general election and was appointed to the position of Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach; also a junior (non-cabinet) ministry, but with special responsibility as government chief whip allowing the incumbent to attend cabinet meetings.[2] Following a cabinet reshuffle in September 2004 Hanafin became Minster for Education & Science.
Among her activities in that post:
- Hanafin said that she had strived to improve relations with the teacher trade unions.[citation needed]
- Hanafin abandoned the compilation of school league tables initiated during the incumbency of her predecessor, Noel Dempsey.[3]
- Hanafin had to deal with controversies over the condition of some of the country’s schools regarding building projects and class size.[citation needed]
- School bus safety was prioritised for Hanafin following the tragic death of five schoolgirls near Navan, County Meath in 2005. This has mandated the provision of one seat per child and of the mandatory usage of seatbelts in school buses.[citation needed]
- Hanafin announced plans for a possible change of entry requirements to third level medical education [4]
Hanafin was accused in February 2008, of being oblivious to the plight of parents of children with autism, and of taking an imperious view, consistent with her decision to engage in a 68 day court battle with two ordinary citizens, of the plight of parents attempting to obtain appropriate education for their children through the Applied behavior analysis (ABA) method. She and her Department were accused of ignoring reality of autism education requirements;
"Well I would reject the Minister's position quite completely and I feel it's actually quite cynically misrepresentative of the situation on the ground. The Department of Education does not support ABA, it does not support ABA within the ABA schools and neither does it support ABA within the eclectic classes."
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On May 7 2008 , Hanafin was moved from the Education and Science ministry to the Social and Family Affairs portfolio.
[edit] The future
Hanafin had been touted in the media as a possible leader of Fianna Fáil in the future and potentially Ireland’s first female Taoiseach.[6] However, her move from the Education portfolio to the Social and Family portfolio is seen as a retrograde move for an upwardly aspiring politician.[7] [8]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.ifpa.ie/download/pro-life_irishquestion.rtf
- ^ Department of the Taoiseach - Role of Minister of State (Chief Whip)
- ^ http://www.ucd.ie/economic/staff/kdenny/IndependentArticle.rtf
- ^ http://www.independent.ie/national-news/new-system-widens-net-for-potential-medical-students-1248955.html New system widens net for potential medical students
- ^ Autistic boy's mother in persecution claim February 18 2008
- ^ The woman to teach Fianna Fail a few things - Analysis, Opinion - Independent.ie
- ^ Demoted Hanafin 'genuinely happy' to be in new post
- ^ Heavies Hanafin and Cullen the losers in reshuffle
| Oireachtas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Niamh Bhreathnach (Labour) |
Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for Dún Laoghaire 1997 – present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Frank Fahey |
Minister of State (with special responsibility for Children) 2000–2002 |
Succeeded by Brian Lenihan, Jnr |
| Preceded by Séamus Brennan |
Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Government Chief Whip) 2002–2004 |
Succeeded by Tom Kitt |
| Minister of State at the Department of Defence 2002–2004 |
||
| Preceded by Noel Dempsey |
Minister for Education & Science 2004–2008 |
Succeeded by Batt O'Keeffe |
| Preceded by Martin Cullen |
Minister for Social and Family Affairs 2008–present |
Incumbent |
