Ashbourne resident Carey gets senior Cabinet position

Meath East may have lost a junior minister in recent years, but it has had one of its residents elevated to a senior ministry in Brian Cowen's recent Cabinet reshuffle. The new minister in charge of the newly-styled Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Pat Carey, is a resident of Ashbourne, where he has lived for many years. The former Fianna Fail chief whip, who is a TD for Dublin North-West, was appointed Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and Department of Defence in May 2008. He has been a loyal defender of Fianna Fail and a good media performer. As chief whip, he played a vital role in keeping the Government in power by winning Dail votes, even though there were some tight scrapes recently. His constituency base is in Finglas, an area he became known in as vice-principal of St Finian's School, Finglas. A native of Co Kerry, he was educated at Presentation Brothers, Milltown, Co Kerry, and St Patrick's Teachers' Training College, Drumcondra, as well as UCD and TCD. He was first elected to Dublin Corporation in 1985 and again in 1991, and was elected to Dáil Éireann in 1997 for the constituency of Dublin North-West on his third attempt. Deputy Carey was re-elected in May 2002 and again in May 2007. He was vice-chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs up to November 2004. He was co-chair of the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body from November 2004 until his appointment as Minister of State in June 2007 at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Here, he had special responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy and for Community Affairs between June 2007 and May 2008. With Eamon " Cuív now assumimg the role of Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Carey succeeds him, and John Curran TD succeeds Minister Carey as Government Chief Whip. Meanwhile, South Dublin Fine Gael senator and Kilcloon native Eugene Regan has said he will not be seeking his party's nomination for the next general election in the constituency. The senator had been widely tipped to secure a nomination and a seat for the party in Dún Laoghaire, South Dublin. A senior counsel, he is the Fine Gael Seanad spokesman on justice, equality and law reform. Previously the cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, he was elected councillor to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in 2004. In the 2007 general election, the senator was the youngest of his party's candidates for the Dáil. He secured a seat in the Seanad in July 2007, on the agricultural panel. Ahead of the resignation of former Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea in February, Mr Regan accused him of perjury in the Seanad. Mr Regan told The Irish Times at the weekend that he had written to approximately 600 members of his local constituency to inform them he would not be seeking the nomination. His decision was made for personal reasons. He would have been up for the fight, he added, but now felt he would not be able to give a campaign the focus it would require.