Frances Fitzgerald (politician)

Frances Fitzgerald TD
Tánaiste
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2016
Taoiseach	Enda Kenny Leo Varadkar
Preceded by	Joan Burton
Minister for Enterprise and Innovation
Incumbent
Assumed office 14 June 2017
Taoiseach	Leo Varadkar
Preceded by	Mary Mitchell O'Connor
Minister for Justice and Equality
In office 8 May 2014 – 14 June 2017
Taoiseach	Enda Kenny
Preceded by	Alan Shatter
Succeeded by	Charles Flanagan
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs
In office 9 March 2011 – 7 May 2014
Taoiseach	Enda Kenny
Preceded by	New office
Succeeded by	Charles Flanagan
Leader of the Opposition in the Seanad
In office 30 July 2007 – 25 February 2011
Leader	Enda Kenny
Preceded by	Michael Finucane
Succeeded by	Darragh O'Brien
Leader of Fine Gael in the Seanad
In office 30 July 2007 – 25 February 2011
Leader	Enda Kenny
Preceded by	Michael Finucane
Succeeded by	Maurice Cummins
Teachta Dála
Incumbent
Assumed office February 2011
Constituency	Dublin Mid-West
Teachta Dála
In office November 1992 – June 2002
Constituency	Dublin South-East
Senator
In office 24 July 2007 – 25 February 2011
Constituency	Labour Panel
Personal details
Born	Frances Mary Ryan (1950-08-01) 1 August 1950 Croom, Limerick, Ireland
Nationality	Irish
Political party	Fine Gael
Spouse(s)	Michael Fitzgerald (m. 1990)
Children	3
Education	Dominican College Sion Hill
Alma mater	University College Dublin London School of Economics
Website	Official website

Frances Mary Fitzgerald (born 1 August 1950) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Tánaiste since May 2016 and Minister for Enterprise and Innovation since June 2017. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) since 2011 and previously between 1992 and 2002, currently for the Dublin Mid-West constituency. She previously served as Minister for Justice and Equality from 2014 to 2016, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs from 2011 to 2014, Leader of the Opposition in the Seanad and Leader of Fine Gael in the Seanad from 2007 to 2011. She was a Senator for the Labour Panel from 2007 to 2011.^[1]

She is the second Fine Gael TD to hold the position of Tánaiste, after Peter Barry (1987).

Early and personal life

Born Frances Ryan in Croom, County Limerick, she was educated at the Holy Family Secondary School Newbridge, the Dominican College Sion Hill, University College Dublin and the London School of Economics.^[2] She is a former social worker.

She is married to world renowned Professor of Psychiatry,^[3] Michael Fitzgerald and has three sons.^[4][5]

Career

Fitzgerald was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1992 general election and retained her seat at the 1997 general election. She lost her seat at the 2002 general election. She then stood for election to the 22nd Seanad on the Administrative Panel, but was unsuccessful.

At the 1999 local elections, she was elected as a Dublin City Councillor for Rathmines, she sought to contest the 2004 local elections.^[6] for the Rathmines ward but was not selected^[7] at the convention, losing out to Edie Wynne and Brian Gillen. She was not subsequently added to the ticket.

Before being elected a TD, she had been a high-profile Chair of the Council for the Status of Women from 1988 to 1992.

She was the Fine Gael candidate at the 2007 general election for the Dublin Mid-West constituency, but was not elected.^[8] She was elected to the Seanad in July 2007. On 12 September 2007, she was appointed leader of the Fine Gael group in Seanad Éireann, and was also Fine Gael Seanad spokesperson on Health and Children, and a member of the Fine Gael Front Bench.

She was elected as a Fine Gael TD for the Dublin Mid-West constituency at the 2011 and 2016 general elections.^[6] On 9 March 2011, she was appointed as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. In the role she spoke out forcefully against the Catholic Church's role in covering up child abuse.^[9]

On 8 May 2014, Fitzgerald succeeded Alan Shatter as Minister for Justice and Equality.^[10][11]

Fitzgerald has spoken out in support of young families, and believes the government should take a more proactive role in helping parents and children. "I feel so strongly about the State taking a more proactive role around childcare, paternity leave and parental leave," she noted. "I do want to see us getting to the place where the State is more supportive when it comes to childcare. We have been slow enough on that."^[12]

In early 2016 when gangland activity became an issue in Dublin, Fitzgerald committed that there would be a permanent armed response unit in Dublin.^[13]

On 6 May 2016, Fitzgerald was reappointed the Minister for Justice and Equality. She was also promoted to the position of Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.^[14][15]

After the Fine Gael leadership election, 2017 brought about by Enda Kenny's resignation as party leader, Fitzgerald 'seriously considered' putting her name down as a candidate for leader but ultimately decided against it.^[16]

After Leo Varadkar was elected Leader of Fine Gael and by extension Taoiseach-designate he was asked whether he would make his rival Simon Coveney Tánaiste. He confirmed he would keep Fitzgerald on, saying 'we have a Tánaiste, its Frances Fitzgerald and I think she's doing an excellent job'.^[17] Upon his appointment as Taoiseach, Varadkar kept Fitzgerald on as Tánaiste but moved her from Minister of Justice and Equality to Minister for Enterprise and Innovation. Charles Flanagan replaced her as Minister of Justice and Equality.^[18]

References

External links

• Official website
• Frances Fitzgerald's page on the Fine Gael website
• Centre For the Advancement of Women in Politics: Frances Fitzgerald