Fine Gael management hopeful Simon Harris has paid tribute to Josepha Madigan as she introduced her resignation as Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion.
Ms Madigan, a Fine Gael TD for Dublin Rathdown, has stated she won’t be working within the subsequent common election.
In a press release posted on X, Ms Madigan stated she can be supporting Mr Harris within the Fine Gael management contest.
She stated she had knowledgeable Taoiseach Leo Varadkar final summer season that she wouldn’t be working within the subsequent common election.
“We have had many conversations since then, but I have not changed my mind,” she stated in her assertion.
“I’m immediately confirming my determination not to contest the subsequent General Election. I’m additionally resigning immediately from my ministerial place.
“I wish Simon the very best in forming a new Fine Gael ministerial team to lead the party into the next election.”
Ms Madigan turns into the 11th Fine Gael TD to announce that they won’t be contesting the subsequent election.
Mr Harris stated that he thought of her each a “colleague and a friend”.
“I fully understand and respect her decision,” Mr Harris stated.
“I really want to thank her for her support over the past few days. I look forward to meeting her over the weekend to thank her in person.”
She was first elected to the Dáil within the 2016 General Election.
The following 12 months she was appointed Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the place she served till 2020, when she was appointed Minister of State with accountability for Special Education and Inclusion.
Last month, she sought the Fine Gael nomination to contest the European Parliament elections in June for the Dublin constituency, nonetheless, she was defeated in that contest by Senator Regina Doherty.
She described her time in politics as “an enormous honour” and thanked her constituents in Dublin Rathdown and Fine Gael members and colleagues for all their assist during the last ten years.
In her assertion, she stated: “Politics just isn’t a straightforward occupation however that doesn’t imply it’s not a rewarding one.
“I hope that people with strong hearts, resilience and courage will continue to enter public life to help better our country and its people. Over the last ten years I did all I could to achieve that objective.”
The outgoing Taoiseach Leo Varadkar paid tribute to her and stated she “is an extremely hard-working Fine Gael public representative”.
“We first met at a Strictly Come Dancing charity fundraiser in south Dublin back in 2015 when she was a candidate for the Dáil,” Mr Varadkar stated.
“My accomplice, Matt, was one of many rivals. Shane Ross TD, then in opposition, was a decide. We hit it off and have been mates ever since.
“She is well one of many kindest and most empathetic politicians I do know. Sometimes kindness in politics is seen as weak point. I consider it’s certainly one of her strengths.
“I appointed her Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in 2017 the place she kicked off my plan to double expenditure on arts and tradition by 2024, which has been achieved.
“Josepha will be missed in the Dáil. I wish her the very best as she takes on a new chapter in her life after politics.”
Minister for Education and Fianna Fáil TD Norma Foley stated Ms Madigan was “hard-working, diligent and hugely committed to her portfolio”.
“She was an excellent colleague and I sincerely wish her well in her remaining term as a TD and with all her plans for the future,” Ms Foley stated.
A Department of Education assertion added: “Minister Madigan was the first Minister of State with a brief in special education and her drive and commitment to this work will leave a very strong legacy in our school communities and, in particular, in special education provision in Ireland.”
Speaking to RTÉ’s Drivetime, Senator Mary Seery Kearney stated she was “really surprised” by Ms Madigan’s determination to stand down.
The senator described her occasion colleague as “accomplished, capable and hardworking”, including that she can be a “real loss to politics”.
Also talking on Drivetime, FG Senator Barry Ward denied that the 11 FG TDs stepping down doesn’t look good for his occasion.
“It’s easy to read more into it than is actually there,” he stated.
Mr Ward stated lots of these not looking for re-election had “many years of service behind them and are entitled, given that length of service, to step back”.
