Emer Higgins
Emer Higgins | |
|---|---|
 Higgins in 2020 | |
| Minister of State | |
| 2024– | Enterprise, Trade and Employment |
| Teachta Dála | |
| Assumed office February 2020 | |
| Constituency | Dublin Mid-West |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1985 or 1986 (age 38–39) Dublin,Ireland |
| Political party | Fine Gael |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
Emer Higgins(born 1985/1986)[1]is an IrishFine Gaelpolitician who has been aTeachta Dála(TD) for theDublin Mid-Westconstituency since the2020 general election.[2][3]
She was co-opted as a member ofSouth Dublin County Councilin 2011 and continued as a councillor until her election as a TD in 2020, and worked as chief of staff of global operations forPayPal.She served as Leader of the Fine Gael group on South Dublin County Council and as Chair of the Land use, Planning and Transport SPC Strategic Policy Committee.
In 2019, she ran as the Fine Gael candidate in the2019 Dublin Mid-West by-electionwhere she was beaten by theSinn FéincandidateMark Ward.[4]
She is a member of the Governing Authority ofUniversity College Dublin(UCD), where she went to college and graduated with a Honours Degree in Economics and Sociology.[3]She also worked for a period of five years as an assistant toFrances Fitzgerald.[5]
In November 2019, she apologised for an incident in 2014, in which she delivered a letter to her constituents where she expressed "delight" over cancelled plans for accommodation forIrish TravellersinNewcastle, South Dublin.[6]
At the2020 general election,she was one of two Fine Gael candidates inDublin Mid-Westand was elected to one of four seats in the constituency.[7][8]Following Higgins's election to the Dáil, Shirley O'Hara was co-opted to her seat onSouth Dublin County Council.[9]
In May 2022, Higgins was widely criticised on social media for her "months-long campaign" and work withSimon Coveneyto renameAn Post's Passport Express service as Post Passport, as it was not quick enough. Critics described her video announcing the change as "tone deaf" and asked whether there were not more important issues for elected representatives to deal with. As a result she wasratioedon Twitter.[10]
On 17 December 2022, Higgins seconded the uncontested nomination ofLeo VaradkarasTaoiseachfor his second term.[11]
On 10 April 2024, Higgins was appointed asMinister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employmentwith responsibility for Business, Employment and Retail.[12][13]
On 30 June 2024, Higgins announced that she would be askingDublin City Councilto pause the Dublin City Centre Transport Plan. The move followed public criticism of the plan byIbecand the Dublin City Traders Alliance but faced criticism fromMinister for TransportEamon Ryanand from several Dublin City councillors as well as advocacy groupsI BIKE Dublinand the Dublin Commuter Coalition.[14][15]Her intervention was described by some councillors as "inappropriate", an "outrageous overreach" and an instance "of big business dictating to the city",[16]and byIvana Bacik,the leader of the Labour Party as "a really inappropriate intervention by a junior minister seeking it seems to derail the traffic plan agreed for Dublin City Council by councillors”.[17][18]
References
[edit]- ^Holland, Kitty (10 February 2020)."Election 2020: Emer Higgins (Fine Gael)".The Irish Times.
- ^"Emer Higgins".Oireachtas Members Database.Retrieved15 February2020.
- ^abHolland, Kitty (10 February 2020)."Election 2020: Emer Higgins (Fine Gael)".The Irish Times.Dublin.Archivedfrom the original on 16 June 2021.
- ^O'Halloran, Marie (30 November 2019)."Byelection Dublin Mid-West: Sinn Féin's Mark Ward elected".The Irish Times.Dublin.Archivedfrom the original on 16 June 2021.Retrieved16 June2021.
- ^McGee, Harry (21 February 2020)."First day in the Dáil: Giddy atmosphere as new TDs anxious to get to work".The Irish Times.Dublin.Archivedfrom the original on 16 June 2021.Retrieved21 February2020.
- ^Daly, Adam (14 November 2019)."Taoiseach: Councillor 'accepts fully' she was wrong about Traveller accommodation comment".TheJournal.ie.Archivedfrom the original on 1 December 2019.
- ^Holland, Kitty (10 February 2020) [9 February 2020]."Dublin Mid West results: Jubilant scenes as Gino Kenny takes final seat. Fine Gael's Emer Higgins also elected while Fianna Fáil's John Curran loses out".The Irish Times.Dublin.Archivedfrom the original on 16 June 2021.Retrieved16 June2021.
- ^"Election 2020: Dublin Mid-West".The Irish Times.Dublin. 10 February 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 16 June 2021.Retrieved16 June2021.
- ^"Minutes of South Dublin County Council February 2020 Special Meeting of County Council Meeting held on Monday 24 February 2020"(DOC).South Dublin County Council.pp. 2–3.Archivedfrom the original on 16 June 2021.Retrieved16 June2021.
- ^Butler, Roisin (25 May 2022)."Ireland reacts to 'tone deaf' Passport Express name change as service is too slow".Irish Mirror.Retrieved25 May2022.
- ^Lehane, Mícheál (17 December 2022)."Varadkar set to replace Martin as Taoiseach".RTÉ News.
- ^Lehane, Mícheál (10 April 2024)."Dillon, Higgins and Burke appointed as junior ministers".Retrieved10 April2024.
- ^"Who are the new junior ministers in Simon Harris's Cabinet?".The Irish Times.Retrieved31 May2024.
- ^Duffy, Rónán (1 July 2024)."Councillors slam 'bizarre overreach' as junior minister seeks to halt Dublin traffic plan".TheJournal.ie.Retrieved14 August2024.
- ^"Junior Minister's attempt to delay Dublin City traffic plan" until at least 2025 "is" outrageous "-".IrishCycle.30 June 2024.Retrieved14 August2024.
- ^Kelly, Olivia (2 July 2024)."Dublin councillors seek no delay on transport plan amid 'big business' lobbying".The Irish Times.Retrieved2 July2024.
- ^"Junior minister accused of 'Fine Gael dog whistling' over Dublin transport plan".The Irish Times.Retrieved14 August2024.
- ^"Intervention by Emer Higgins is creating an artificial conflict between drivers and everyone else".The Irish Times.Retrieved14 August2024.