Denis Naughten has announced today that he will not contest the next General Election, which is due to be held in 2025.
Naughten said that he has decided that after giving 26 years of his life to national politics, that now is the time to step back and explore new opportunities.
The Independent TD thanked the people of Galway, Roscommon, Longford and Leitrim for their support over the last quarter of a century.
He said it has truly been an honour to represent the people from those counties in Dáil Éireann over that time.
In a statement this morning, Deputy Naughten said: “I want to particularly thank the many people who canvassed for me over the years, some of whom had previously canvassed for my later father Liam.
“I want to sincerely thank all the staff who have worked with me over the years, and I want to particularly mention Deirdre Concannon and Jill Mellor and also my family for their support over those years, which at times were very difficult and challenging.
“I entered politics at a young age, in difficult circumstances, and it was always my intention to turn my hand to something outside politics.”
He said that the time has now come for that to happen and to provide an opportunity for others to represent the people of this area in Dáil Éireann.
“I provided support to the Government as an Independent TD at a time when political stability was required, representing my country at international level as Minister, furthering our collective national ambition towards a lower carbon society by imaginative and progressive policies on behalf of all our people.
“Since my initial election I have fought tirelessly for the improvement and delivery of our health services at both local and national level.
“Whilst protecting our local services was a condition of my support for the Government, the establishment of an all-party Committee on Health – which produced the first Sláintecare report, and which was the genesis of our current pathway – I believe will ultimately prove to be a key turning point in the delivery of a proper and responsive healthcare system in Ireland.
“My achievement in ensuring the delivery of fibre optic broadband to every home in Ireland, something that I had worked on for over 15 years, is something that I regard as a significant step in improving access to the people of all local communities in Ireland that I was honoured to represent and serve.”
