Who is the Minister?

Mary Hanafin T.D.
Minister for Social and Family Affairs,
Floor 3, Áras Mhic Dhiarmada,

Birthplace

Born in Thurles, Co. Tipperary in 1959.

Daughter of Des Hanafin (Senator 1969-1993, 1997-2002) and sister of Senator John Hanafin.

Constituency

Dun Laoghaire.

First elected to Dáil Éireann in the 1997 General Election.

Re-elected to the Dáil on May 18, 2002, taking the first seat in Dún Laoghaire, and topping the poll with 8,818 first preference votes. With this, she was the top female vote-getter (per quota) in the country.

Political Career

Appointed Minister for Social and Family Affairs on 7th May 2008.

Minister for Education and Science from 29th September 2004 – 6th May 2008.

Minister of State at the Departments of the Taoiseach and Defence, with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip and for the Information Society from June 2002 to September 2004.

Minister of State at the Departments of Health and Children, Justice, Equality and Law Reform, and Education and Science, with special responsibility for Children from January 2000 to June 2002.

Former Member of Oireachtas Joint Committees on Heritage and the Irish Language; Justice, Equality & Women's Rights, and Education and Science.

Member of Dublin City Council 1985-1991.

Education

Presentation Convent, Thurles, Co. Tipperary and St Patrick's College, Maynooth (BA, HdipED).

Diploma in Legal Studies from DIT.

Occupation

Full-time public representative and Government Minister. Secondary school teacher of Irish and History, Dominican College, Sion Hill, Blackrock, Co. Dublin until her election to Dáil Eireann in 1997.

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