Irish politician (born 1973)
Denis Naughten
(born 23 June 1973) is an Irish
independent
politician who has been a
Teachta Dala
(TD) for the
Roscommon?Galway
constituency since
2016
, and previously from 2007 to 2016 for the
Roscommon?South Leitrim
constituency and from 1997 to 2007 for the
Longford?Roscommon
constituency. He was appointed Chair of the
Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands
in September 2020. He previously served as
Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment
from 2016 to 2018. He was a
Senator
for the
Agricultural Panel
from January 1997 to June 1997.
[1]
He sits as an independent TD, having lost the
Fine Gael
parliamentary
party whip
in July 2011.
[2]
Family and early life
[
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]
Naughten was born in
Drum
,
County Roscommon
, in 1973. He was educated at
St. Aloysius College
,
Athlone
,
University College Dublin
and
University College Cork
, where he studied for a PhD in Food Microbiology, but did not complete it.
[3]
His father
Liam Naughten
was also a
Fine Gael
TD and Senator.
Political career
[
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]
Naughten was elected at a by-election to
Seanad Eireann
in 1997, to the seat vacant since the death of his father. Following, the
1997 general election
, he was elected to
Dail Eireann
as a Fine Gael
TD
for the
Longford?Roscommon
constituency and was re-elected at the
2002 general election
.
[4]
He was also a member of
Roscommon County Council
and the
Western Health Board
from January 1997 to October 2003.
Within his first few weeks in the Dail, he became Fine Gael Spokesperson on Youth Affairs, School Transport and Adult Education. Between 2000 and 2001, he served as Spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Naughten declined to stand in the party's
leadership election
in 2002, having at first indicated an interest in standing. He was later appointed Spokesperson on Transport. He was Spokesperson on Agriculture from 2004 to 2007.
He was re-elected at the
2007 general election
for the new constituency of
Roscommon?South Leitrim
. He was Spokesperson on Immigration and Integration from 2007 to 2010. In June 2010, he supported
Richard Bruton
's
leadership challenge
to
Enda Kenny
. Following Kenny's victory in a motion of confidence, Naughten was not re-appointed to the front bench. In October 2010, he was appointed Deputy Spokesperson on Health, with special responsibility for Primary Care and Disability.
He was re-elected at the
2011 general election
. He voted against the government's decision to close the
Roscommon County Hospital
emergency department
on 6 July 2011.
[5]
[6]
He lost the Fine Gael party whip the following day.
[2]
[7]
On 13 September 2013, he and six other expellees formed the
Reform Alliance
, described as a "loose alliance" rather than a
political party
.
[8]
He was re-elected for
Roscommon?Galway
at the
2016 general election
.
Naughten was appointed as
Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment
in
Taoiseach
Enda Kenny
's Fine Gael/
Independent
minority government
after
two months of negotiation
following the 2016 general election. He later resigned from this post on 11 October 2018, following controversy surrounding a series of meetings he attended with the leading bidder for his department's National Broadband Plan that occurred during the project's procurement process.
[9]
He was succeeded by
Richard Bruton
.
[10]
He stood for
election for Ceann Comhairle
at the first sitting of the
33rd Dail
on 20 February 2020, but was defeated by
Sean O Fearghail
.
[11]
Naughten was subsequently named by
Leo Varadkar
as
Leas-Cheann Comhairle
on an acting basis due to a deferred election caused by the
COVID-19 pandemic
.
[12]
[13]
On 13 February 2023, he announced that he would not contest the
next general election
.
[14]
See also
[
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]
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]