Frances Fitzgerald (politician)

Frances Fitzgerald (born 1 August 1950) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who serves as the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality in the Government of Ireland. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Mid-West constituency since February 2011. She was a member of Seanad Éireann on the Labour Panel from 2007 to 2011, and was previously a TD for the Dublin South-East constituency from 1992 to 2002. She is the second Fine Gael TD to hold the position of Tánaiste, after Peter Barry (1987).

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. She is a former social worker.

She is married to psychiatrist Michael Fitzgerald and has three sons.

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. for the Rathmines ward but was not selected 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. 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. 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.

On 8 May 2014, Fitzgerald succeeded Alan Shatter as Minister for Justice and Equality.

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."

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

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.