Johnny Brady (Fianna Fail)

Johnny Brady was born and reared in Kilskyre, close to the Meath/Westmeath border. His political career started when he was first elected to Meath County Council in 1974. He was subsequently re-elected on five successive occasions and served on Meath County Council until May 2003. Deputy Brady was first elected to Dail Eireann in June 1997 and re-elected again in 2002 and 2007. He has been chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Agriculture and Food Committee since 2002 and was also a member of the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body and a member of the Joint Committee for Environment Heritage and Local Government. He says he reversed a situation where there was minimal investment and state funding coming into north Meath and secured funding for a large number of projects, including education and healthcare facilities, local authority housing, sewerage/water services, sports and childcare facilities since 1997. He was greatly involved in the new M3 motorway project and the network of roads associated with it. His vision for rural Ireland and agriculture is a positive one, he says, adding that he has worked to represent the interests of local farmers, with millions of euro in investment coming into the area through the Single Farm Payment and Farm Waste Management Scheme. He says he has fought hard to obtain planning permission for many constituents.