Seán Sherlock
| Seán Sherlock TD | |
|---|---|
 Sherlock (centre) in 2014 | |
| Minister of State for Overseas Development Assistance, Trade Promotion and North South cooperation | |
|
Assumed office July 2014 | |
| Preceded by | New office |
| Minister of State for Research and Innovation | |
|
In office March 2011 – July 2014 | |
| Preceded by | New office |
| Succeeded by | Damien English |
| Teachta Dála | |
|
Assumed office May 2007 | |
| Constituency | Cork East |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
6 December 1972 Mallow, County Cork, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | Labour Party |
| Alma mater | University College Galway |
| Occupation | Minister of State |
| Website |
seansherlock |
Seán Sherlock (born 6 December 1972) is an Irish Labour Party politician. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for Cork East since May 2007, and has been a Minister of State since March 2011.[1]
Early life
Born in Mallow, County Cork, Sherlock is the son of Joe Sherlock, then an Official Sinn Féin local councillor. He was educated locally at St. Patrick's boys' national school and the Patrician Academy before later attending the College of Commerce in Cork. Sherlock subsequently studied at University College Galway where he completed a degree in Economics and Politics.
Political career
Sherlock first became directly involved in politics when he served a six-month internship with MEP Proinsias De Rossa in his office in the European Parliament. Following the completion of his internship he was offered a full-time job working as an assistant to de Rossa.
In 2002 Sherlock served as election manager for his father in his attempt to win back a seat at the general election as a Labour Party candidate. The campaign was a successful one and Joe Sherlock returned to Dáil Éireann after a ten-year absence.
The abolition of the dual mandate in 2003 meant that Sherlock's father had to vacate his seats on Mallow Town Council and Cork County Council. Sherlock was chosen as his replacement and he was co-opted onto both councils that year. The following year he won both seats in his own right when he was successful at the local elections. Sherlock was then elected mayor of Mallow.
When Sherlock's father announced that he would not be contesting the 2007 general election, Sherlock was once again chosen as a replacement candidate. He contested the Cork East constituency for the Labour Party and was elected.[2] A Fianna Fáil-headed government returned to power once again. Sherlock was subsequently appointed Labour Party spokesperson on Agriculture and Food.
Sherlock retained his Dáil seat at the 2011 general election after topping the poll in Cork East. When the new coalition government was formed he was tipped for possible inclusion at the cabinet, however, he joined the junior ministerial ranks as Minister of State for Research and Innovation.[3]
Copyright legislation
In January 2012, Sherlock proposed legislation giving copyright holders the right to seek an injunction against copyright violators. A group called 'Stop SOPA Ireland" petitioned against the legislation. Comparisons have been made between these reforms and the Stop Online Piracy Act in the United States. Sherlock said these comparisons were "not based on fact".[4] According to the Irish government, the legislation is intended to close a loophole after a High Court case in 2010 where EMI sued UPC, an internet service provider, over illegal downloads. A denial-of-service attack was performed against government websites in protest over the changes.[5]
On 29 February 2012, Sherlock signed the legislation into law. He cited Ireland's "obligations under EU law”.[6][7] Subsequently, the legislation resulted in the blocking of The Pirate Bay in Ireland.[8]
Minister of State (2014)
On 15 July 2014, he was appointed as Minister of State with responsibility for Overseas Development Assistance, Trade Promotion and North South cooperation at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.[9]
See also
References
- ↑ "Mr. Seán Sherlock". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 18 April 2009.
- ↑ "Seán Sherlock". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 18 April 2009.
- ↑ "Kenny breaks election pledge by not cutting junior ministers". Irish Examiner. 11 March 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
- ↑ Edwards, Elaine (26 January 2012). "Copyright 'piracy' measurepublished". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ↑ "Anti copyright hackers claim responsibility for government website attacks". Irish Independent. 25 January 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
- ↑ "Sherlock signs copyright amendment law". RTÉ News (Raidió Teilifís Éireann). 29 February 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ↑ Carbery, Genevieve (29 February 2012). "Internet copyright law signed". The Irish Times (Irish Times Trust). Retrieved 29 February 2012.
- ↑ "Ireland’s High Court orders six ISPs to block access to The Pirate Bay". Silicon Republic. 16 June 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- ↑ "Simon Harris among new Ministers of State". RTÉ News. 15 July 2014.
External links
| Oireachtas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Joe Sherlock (Labour Party) |
Labour Party Teachta Dála for Cork East 2007–present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| New office | Minister of State for Research and Innovation 2011–2014 |
Succeeded by Damien English |
| Minister of State for Overseas Development Assistance, Trade Promotion and North South cooperation 2014–present |
Incumbent | |
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