Simon Coveney
| Simon Coveney TD |
|
|---|---|
 |
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| Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 9 March 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Brendan Smith (Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office June 2004 – June 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Succeeded by | Colm Burke |
| Constituency | South |
| Teachta Dála | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 3 November 1998 |
|
| Preceded by | Hugh Coveney |
| Constituency | Cork South–Central |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 June 1972 Cork, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Political party | Fine Gael |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth Furney |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater |
|
| Occupation | Farm manager |
| Website | www.simoncoveney.ie |
Simon Coveney (born 16 June 1972) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Cork South–Central since 1998. In March 2011 he became Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in Enda Kenny's coalition government.[1]
Early and personal life
Born in Cork, Coveney was the son of Hugh Coveney, a TD and a chartered quantity surveyor and a member of one of the famous merchant prince families in the city. He was educated locally in Cork before later attending Clongowes Wood College, County Kildare. He was expelled from the college in Transition Year and completed his secondary school education in Presentation Brothers College, Cork.[2] Coveney subsequently attended University College Cork and Gurteen Agricultural College, before completing a BSc in Agriculture and Land Management from Royal Agricultural College, Gloucestershire.
Coveney married his long-time girlfriend Ruth Furney, an IDA Ireland employee, in July 2008. They have two daughters.[3]
Political career
Beginnings
Coveney was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fine Gael candidate for Cork South–Central in a by-election caused by the death of his father in 1998. In spite of being a strong supporter of party leader John Bruton, he remained on the opposition backbenches for a number of years.
In 2001 discipline in the parliamentary party broke down and Coveney came out against Bruton in a leadership heave. His loss of support was a surprise and encouraged others to vote against Bruton. The subsequent leadership contest was won by Michael Noonan and a new front bench was put in place. Coveney was subsequently promoted to the position of deputy chief whip.
Coveney was re-elected at the 2002 general election in what turned out to be a disaster for Fine Gael. The party lost twenty-three seats and some of its most important party figures. Noonan was replaced as party leader by Enda Kenny who promoted Coveney to the position of spokesperson on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources in his new front bench.
Member of the European Parliament
Coveney enhanced his political profile by securing election to European Parliament for the South constituency in the 2004 European Parliament election.
During the three years he spent as an MEP, Coveney held the position of human rights co-ordinator for the largest political group in the European Parliament, the EPP-ED, and twice authored the Parliament's Annual Report on Human Rights in the world. He also spearheaded the Stop the Traffic campaign at the European Parliament. He was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Delegation for Relations with the USA and a substitute on the Human Rights Subcommittee, Fisheries Committee, Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee and the Delegation for Relations with Iran.
Domestic return
Coveney returned to Ireland to contest the 2007 general election. He was successful in being returned to the Dáil and, as a result, stepped down as an MEP. He was replaced in the European Parliament by Colm Burke.[4]
Fine Gael won back many of the seats that the party had lost five years earlier, however, they still fell short of forming a coalition government with the Labour Party. Coveney returned to the party's front bench as spokesperson on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.
In June 2010, Coveney and a number of other front bench spokespersons stated that they had no confidence in their party leader, Enda Kenny. A subsequent confidence motion in the leader was won.[5] Coveney was re-appointed to the front bench as spokesperson on Transport.[6]
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine
On 9 March 2011, Coveney was appointed Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the new Fine Gael-Labour Party coalition government.
He attended his first meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers in Brussels on 17 March.[7]
Coveney provoked controversy when, in September 2011, he flew to Algeria on the government jet at a cost of more than €26,000 to the Irish taxpayer when there were flights available for €16,331.[8] While there, Coveney cut a ribbon at the opening of a supermarket in Oran.[9][10]
References
- ^ "Mr. Simon Coveney". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ^ "Miriam Meets...... Patrick and Simon Coveney, TD". RTÉ Radio One. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
- ^ Riegel, Ralph (3 March 2011). "Coveney thinking of cots, not cabinets, after daughter's birth". Irish Independent. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
- ^ "Simon Coveney". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ^ "Kenny survives confidence vote". RTÉ News. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
- ^ "Bruton & Noonan return to Fine Gael frontbench". RTÉ News. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
- ^ "Simon Coveney to attend EU agriculture talks". RTÉ News. 16 March 2011.
- ^ McQuinn, Cormac; Sheehan, Aideen (9 November 2011). "Coveney stands by €26,000 spend on government jet". Irish Independent. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ McQuinn, Cormac (8 November 2011). "Coveney 'cut ribbon' for shop on €26,000 jet trip to Algeria". Irish Independent. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
- ^ "The Government Minister, the supermarket-opening and the €26,000 bill". JOE. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
External links
- Official website
- Simon Coveney's page on the Fine Gael website
- Coveney's position on the "software patents" directive, before the 2005 second reading
- Coveney authored reports on Human Rights in the World
- European Parliament profile
| Oireachtas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hugh Coveney (Fine Gael) |
Fine Gael Teachta Dála for Cork South–Central 1998–present |
Incumbent |
| European Parliament | ||
| New constituency | Member of the European Parliament for South 2004–2007 |
Succeeded by Colm Burke |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Brendan Smith as Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 2011–present |
Incumbent |
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