Fine Gael Front Bench - Misplaced Pages

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (September 2020)

Fine Gael is the third largest political party in the Oireachtas. The Fine Gael leader appoints a team of TDs and Senators to speak for the party on different issues. When Fine Gael was in opposition, the front bench areas of responsibility broadly corresponded to those of Government ministers. Fine Gael has been in Government since March 2011 and accordingly their front bench consists of the ministerial officeholders. In 2020 a number of non-ministerial office holders were appointed as spokespeople for policy areas where Fine Gael does not have a minister.

Fine Gael ministers

On 9 April 2024, six Fine Gael TDs were appointed to the 34th government of Ireland and the government on the nomination of the Taoiseach appointed Fine Gael TD Hildegarde Naughton as a minister of state in attendance at cabinet. On 10 April 2024, the government on the nomination of the Taoiseach appointed 7 further Fine Gael ministers of state.

Name	Elected office	Portfolio	Term
Simon Harris	TD for Wicklow	Leader of Fine Gael Taoiseach	2024–
Helen McEntee	TD for Meath East	Deputy leader of Fine Gael Minister for Justice	2024– 2020–
Heather Humphreys	TD for Cavan–Monaghan	Minister for Social Protection Minister for Rural and Community Development	2020– 2020–
Paschal Donohoe	TD for Dublin Central	Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform	2022–
Peter Burke	TD for Longford–Westmeath	Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment	2024–
Patrick O'Donovan	TD for Limerick County	Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science	2024–
Hildegarde Naughton	TD for Galway West	Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip; and the Department of Education with special responsibility for Special Education and Inclusion	2022– 2024–
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill	TD for Dún Laoghaire	Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for EU Affairs; and the Department of Defence	2024–
Kieran O'Donnell	TD for Limerick City	Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works	2024–
Colm Burke	TD for Cork North-Central	Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs	2024–
Martin Heydon	TD for Kildare South	Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Research and Development, Farm Safety and New Market Development	2020–
Alan Dillon	TD for Mayo	Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with special responsibility for Local Government and Planning	2024–
Neale Richmond	TD for Dublin Rathdown	Minister of State at the Department of Finance with special responsibility for Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance	2024–
Emer Higgins	TD for Dublin Mid-West	Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with special responsibility for Business, Employment and Retail; and the Department of Social Protection	2024–

Fine Gael party spokespeople

Seanad spokespeople

Name	Elected office	Portfolio	Term
Seán Kyne	Senator nominated by the Taoiseach	Deputy Leader of the Seanad Spokesperson on Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and the Gaeltacht	2024– 2020–
Joe O'Reilly	Senator for the Labour Panel	Deputy Government Whip Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs & Defence	2023– 2020–
Garret Ahearn	Senator for the Administrative Panel	Spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade and Employment	2020–
Paddy Burke	Senator for the Agricultural Panel	Spokesperson on Social Protection, Rural & Community Development & The Islands	2023–
Maria Byrne	Senator for the Agricultural Panel	Spokesperson on Finance	2023–
Micheál Carrigy	Senator for the Industrial and Commercial Panel	Spokesperson on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport, and Media	2020–
Martin Conway	Senator for the Administrative Panel	Spokesperson on Health	2020–
John Cummins	Senator for the Labour Panel	Spokesperson on Housing, Local Government, and Heritage	2020–
Emer Currie	Senator nominated by the Taoiseach	Spokesperson on Special Education and Inclusion & Northern Ireland	2023–
Aisling Dolan	Senator nominated by the Taoiseach	Spokesperson on Education and Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science	2020–
Mary Seery Kearney	Senator nominated by the Taoiseach	Spokesperson on Children, Disability, Equality, Integration & Youth	2020–
Tim Lombard	Senator for the Agricultural Panel	Spokesperson on Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Marine	2020–
John McGahon	Senator for the Cultural and Educational Panel	Spokesperson on Environment, Climate and Communications	2020–
Barry Ward	Senator for the Industrial and Commercial Panel	Spokesperson on Justice	2020–

References

"Appointment of Ministers and Ministers of State – Dáil Éireann (33rd Dáil)". Houses of the Oireachtas. 16 April 2024. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
"An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announces Seanad Spokespersons".

Fine Gael

History

Leadership

Leaders	Eoin O'Duffy W. T. Cosgrave Richard Mulcahy James Dillon Liam Cosgrave Garret FitzGerald Alan Dukes John Bruton Michael Noonan Enda Kenny Leo Varadkar Simon Harris
Deputy leaders	Peter Barry John Bruton Peter Barry Nora Owen Jim Mitchell Richard Bruton James Reilly Simon Coveney Heather Humphreys Helen McEntee
Seanad leaders	Michael O'Higgins Patrick Cooney Gemma Hussey James Dooge Maurice Manning Brian Hayes Michael Finucane (acting) Frances Fitzgerald Maurice Cummins Jerry Buttimer Regina Doherty Seán Kyne
Chairpersons	Kieran Crotty Donal Creed Tom Enright Michael Lowry Jim Higgins Phil Hogan Pádraic McCormack Tom Hayes Charles Flanagan Dan Neville Martin Heydon Richard Bruton Alan Dillon Alan Farrell
Leadership elections	1987 (Dukes) 1990 (Bruton) 2001 (Noonan) 2002 (Kenny) 2017 (Varadkar) 2024 (Harris)

Party structures

Presidential candidates

Presidential candidates	Seán Mac Eoin (1945, 1959) Tom O'Higgins (1966, 1973) Austin Currie (1990) Mary Banotti (1997) Gay Mitchell (2011)
Unopposed presidential candidates with Fine Gael support	Douglas Hyde (1938) Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh (1974)

Elected representatives

Dáil Éireann	William Aird Grace Boland Brian Brennan Colm Brophy Colm Burke Peter Burke Paula Butterly Jerry Buttimer Catherine Callaghan Micheál Carrigy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill John Clendennen Joe Cooney John Cummins Emer Currie Alan Dillon Paschal Donohoe Frank Feighan James Geoghegan Simon Harris Martin Heydon Emer Higgins Keira Keogh David Maxwell Noel McCarthy Helen McEntee Michael Murphy Hildegarde Naughton Joe Neville Maeve O'Connell Kieran O'Donnell Patrick O'Donovan Naoise Ó Muirí John Paul O'Shea Neale Richmond Peter Roche Edward Timmins Barry Ward
Seanad Éireann	Garret Ahearn Nikki Bradley Paddy Burke Maria Byrne Martin Conway Aisling Dolan Alan Farrell Seán Kyne Tim Lombard John McGahon Joe O'Reilly Mary Seery Kearney
European Parliament	Nina Carberry Regina Doherty Seán Kelly Maria Walsh

Alliances

European	European People's Party EPP Group
International	Centrist Democrat International

v t e Front benches in the Oireachtas
Government	Fianna Fáil Front Bench Fine Gael Front Bench Green Party Front Bench
Opposition	Sinn Féin Front Bench Labour Party Front Bench Social Democrats Front Bench
Independent	Technical group

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