Mary Coughlan
Encyclopedia
Mary Coughlan is a former Irish Fianna Fáil
politician who served as a Teachta Dála
(TD) for the Donegal South West
constituency from 1987–2011. During her career in government, she held the Cabinet positions of Tánaiste
(2008–11), Minister for Health and Children (2011), Minister for Education and Skills (2010–11), Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (2008–10), Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food (2004–08), and Minister for Social and Family Affairs
(2002–04). She lost her Dáil seat in the 2011 general election.
in 1965. Her father was Cathal Coughlan
, a former Fianna Fáil TD, who died in June 1986. She was educated at the Ursuline
Convent in Sligo
– where she was a boarder from 1978 to 1983 – and at University College Dublin
, graduating with a Social Science degree. She worked as a social worker for a brief period before becoming involved in politics.
at the age of 16. Coughlan was first elected to Dáil Éireann
as a Fianna Fáil TD for the Donegal South West
constituency. At the age of 21 years and nine months, Coughlan was the youngest member of the 25th Dáil. Her uncle, Clement Coughlan
, was a TD from 1980 until his death in 1983, in a road traffic accident while her father, Cathal Coughlan, was a TD from 1983 to 1986 when he died after a short illness. The death of her father resulted in Coughlan being co-opted onto Donegal County Council
in 1986 and launching her own political career.
Coughlan remained on the backbenches of the Dáil for the first thirteen years of her career as a TD, before being appointed a Junior Minister. During this period, she served on a number of Oireachtas
committees, including the Joint Committee on Tourism, Sport and Recreation and the Joint Committee on the Irish language
where she served as Chairperson. Coughlan was also a member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Body. In 1994, Bertie Ahern
became leader of Fianna Fáil and Leader of the Opposition
. In early 1995, he named his new front bench, including Coughlan as Spokesperson on Educational Reform. She served in this position until 1997 but was not included in the cabinet
or junior ministerial
team when the party came to power.
(with special responsibility for the Gaeltacht and Islands). In this role for just sixteen months, she was responsible for securing Government approval for the general scheme of the Official Languages Equality Bill, which aimed to confirm the language rights of citizens and outline their rights when dealing with the State in either official language. She also oversaw an amended Gaeltacht Housing Act come into force, updating the supports available for Irish speaking households building in, or moving to, the Gaeltacht. The Commission on Irish in the Gaeltacht (Comisiún na Gaeltachta) also completed its work under her guidance and Coughlan saw its report approved and published. During her time in this role, she also established a Working Group on the Creation of Employment in the Gaeltacht. In addition, during her tenure Coughlan oversaw significant investment in island infrastructure and in the connection of islands to the national electricity grid, including Inishbofin Island
, off the County Donegal coast, which was connected for the first time in 2002 by using an under water cable from the mainland.
, Coughlan was promoted to the cabinet as Minister for Social and Family Affairs
. Her time in Social and Family Affairs saw increases in social welfare payments and the extension of family supports. She established the Family Support Agency with a mandate to support families, promote stability in family life, prevent marital breakdown and foster a supportive community environment for families at a local level.
Coughlan received criticism for changes she made regarding the availability of rent supplement. This was portrayed as targeting the weaker sections of society at a time when the Irish economy was reasonably strong. She was also widely criticised for cuts she made as Minister to entitlements for widows and widowers after the death of a spouse. The cuts were part of a wider drive for a reduction in government spending in autumn 2002. However, many considered these and other similar cutbacks to have been forced upon her by Charlie McCreevy
– who was Minister for Finance
at the time, and who was blamed for many of his decisions. She was also involved in resolving a dispute over payments with the country’s dentists.
During her time as Minister for Social and Family Affairs, she was praised for introducing large increases in Child Benefit and in pensions. Her work on the pensions element of her portfolio also saw her introduce Personal Retirement Savings Accounts. Coughlan also established the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman and provided additional funding and support for the State's Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS).
as Minister for Agriculture and Food, becoming the first woman to hold that portfolio in the Republic of Ireland
.
During her time in this role the country's last two remaining sugar factories, owned by Greencore
, were closed – the Carlow
factory closed on 11 March 2005. Mallow
, Ireland’s last sugar factory to remain open, closed on 12 May 2006, after operating for 77 years. Farmers and others were critical of the decision. They criticised the government's and the Minister's roles – both were seen as not doing enough to try to stop the closures, though they had retained some control over the factories since they had been privatised
a number of years before. As sugar beet
growers now had nowhere to sell their sugar beet, cultivation of the crop ceased in Ireland. Coughlan also headed this Department at a time when the spread of bird flu from abroad looked very likely to occur, especially in 2006.
Coughlan was re-appointed to the portfolio on 14 June 2007 following the 2007 general election, with the additional responsibility of fisheries as Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Shortly after her re-appointment Coughlan had to put in place measures to deal with the threat of the potential spread of foot and mouth disease from Britain – in early August 2007.
Throughout her time in this Ministry, Coughlan was involved in ongoing WTO
trade talks.
and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
on 7 May 2008 by newly appointed Taoiseach
Brian Cowen
.
She was blamed for the failed 2008 first referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon
, dealing a devastating blow to the "Yes" campaign when she falsely stated "Yes, we do have one Commissioner but other larger member states have more than one Commissioner". Responding to a row over medical cards she displayed insufficient mathematical skill, saying "Of the savings of €100 million, €86 million is for GPs and €30 million is for pharmacists".
Her performance as Tánaiste in defence of the October 2008 budget was criticised by opposition politicians and the media, with Fine Gael
's Leo Varadkar
publicly comparing Coughlan to gaffe-prone Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin
. Varadkar's comments were challenged by broadcaster John Bowman and Sunday Tribune
journalist Justine McCarthy, as well as by Coughlan herself.
Coughlan announced a third change in the budgetary position, in her local constituency, prior to Cabinet agreement and five days before the responsible Minister for Social and Family Affairs announced it to the nation, via RTÉ Radio.
Coughlan acted to clean up years of wasteful spending by executives at the state training and employment agency, FÁS
, and was considered to have taken a tough line with Director General, Rody Molloy, who was forced to resign in November 2008.
The 2008 fall in the value of sterling against the euro saw the price gap between North and South widen and shoppers cross to Northern Ireland to the detriment of businesses in the South. Coughlan asked multiple retailers to reduce their margins south of the border and provide better value to consumers in the South. Research from Forfás
, concluded that only a five per cent difference in the cost of goods between North and South was justifiable. The findings highlighted retailers' larger margins in the South in relation to their operations in the North and Coughlan queried why the price differential in many identical goods was substantially in excess of 5%. Coughlan said: "I don't own a shop. The Government doesn't own a shop. It's up to Tesco
, it's up to Superquinn
, it's up to Aldi
, it's up to Lidl
; it's up to them to cut their prices. They need to ensure that that happens; they have to do something about it."
When retailers continued to remain silent on the price differential, Coughlan sent in the Competition Authority to investigate supply chains in the retail sector.
Coughlan was condemned for doing "too little too late" in relation to large scale loss of employment in a Dell
facility in Limerick
, despite successfully retaining 2,000 Dell employees in Ireland. She also successfully secured over €22 million of European Globalisation Fund money from the benefit of the workers made redundant in Limerick.
Coughlan has been accused by an opposition spokesperson of being unable to debate exchequer figures.
Coughlan acted to close loopholes in company law that made it possible for bank directors not to have to disclose the full extent of their indebtedness to the bank in its published accounts. She also strengthened the powers of the Director of Corporate Enforcement to enforce company law provisions.
On 24 April 2009, one of Coughlan's demoted junior minister
s, John McGuinness
, criticised Coughlan and Cowen for their lack of leadership being given to the country. He said: "She's not equipped to deal with the complex issues of dealing with enterprise and business within the department. And neither is the department". McGuinness' credibility was subsequently undermined when it was revealed that he had hired external PR advice in an effort to undermine Coughlan and enhance his own profile as a Minister of State within her Department.
In April 2009 she denied there would be a supplementary budget - one was announced five days later - also claiming that the public finances were under control at the same time.
Coughlan has been described as Calamity Coughlan after the gaffe-prone minister was left red-faced in September 2009 after she erroneously referred to the theory of evolution as having been formulated by Einstein
. Later that month she apparently let slip the date of a general election while speaking about the budget when Brian Cowen was in New York. She also memorably called her Green Party colleagues "na glasraí" - Irish language for "the vegetables".
in January 2011, Coughlan was also appointed as Minister for Health and Children.
candidate Thomas Pringle
. Her first preference vote more than halved from 26.5% in 2007 to just over 11%. The loss of her seat was considered the most high profile casualty of the Fianna Fáil meltdown. Coughlan will receive a lump sum of €237,000 with an annual pension of €140,000.
' to include only married couples; this was regarded by the Opposition parties and LGBT rights campaigners as discriminatory towards same-sex couples as there is no legal recognition of same-sex unions in the Republic of Ireland. Two months later, Coughlan caused comment at a European Union
conference on family and social policy by stating that Ireland would never be ready for same-sex marriage or gay adoption.
During her time in Social and Family Affairs, Coughlan did, however, produce a report discussing new definitions of 'the family' which recommended a more progressive approach to the matter. This influenced the Government's 2008 civil union
legislation.
, Coughlan was noted to have "quietly withdrawn" from the first referendum campaign after she embarrassed the Government in a radio interview by not knowing the number of European Commissioners. Over a period of four days, Coughlan stated that the EU's larger nations still had two Commissioners each. In fact, the bigger states lost their second places on the Commission in 2004. According to an Irish Times editorial, "how someone who had spent several years around an EU Council of Ministers' table could not know that is extraordinary".
who lost a leg in a serious car accident a few years after they were married. They were married when Coughlan was aged 26, two years after they met – David was working as a Garda on duty at Leinster House
at the time. They have two children – one son, cathal and one daughter, Maeve. They live at Frosses
, a village just west of Donegal Town. Coughlan is a fluent Irish
speaker.
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
politician who served as a Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
(TD) for the Donegal South West
Donegal South West (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Donegal South–West is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies...
constituency from 1987–2011. During her career in government, she held the Cabinet positions of Tánaiste
Tánaiste
The Tánaiste is the deputy prime minister of Ireland. The current Tánaiste is Eamon Gilmore, TD who was appointed on 9 March 2011.- Origins and etymology :...
(2008–11), Minister for Health and Children (2011), Minister for Education and Skills (2010–11), Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (2008–10), Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food (2004–08), and Minister for Social and Family Affairs
Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Ireland)
The Minister for Social Protection is the senior minister at the Department of Social Protection in the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Social Protection is Joan Burton, TD.-Overview:...
(2002–04). She lost her Dáil seat in the 2011 general election.
Early life
Coughlan was born in Donegal Town in the south of County DonegalCounty Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
in 1965. Her father was Cathal Coughlan
Cathal Coughlan (politician)
Cathal Seán Coughlan was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in a 1983 by-election caused by the death of his brother, Clement Coughlan. His tenure as a Teachta Dála for Donegal South West was short as he died suddenly in June 1986...
, a former Fianna Fáil TD, who died in June 1986. She was educated at the Ursuline
Ursulines
The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order for women founded at Brescia, Italy, by Saint Angela de Merici in November 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.-History:St Angela de Merici spent 17 years leading a...
Convent in Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
– where she was a boarder from 1978 to 1983 – and at University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
, graduating with a Social Science degree. She worked as a social worker for a brief period before becoming involved in politics.
Early political life
Coming from a political family, Coughlan was always interested in politics, and joined a CumannCumann
A cumann is the lowest local unit or branch of a number of Irish political parties. The term cumann may also be used to describe a non-political association....
at the age of 16. Coughlan was first elected to Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
as a Fianna Fáil TD for the Donegal South West
Donegal South West (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Donegal South–West is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies...
constituency. At the age of 21 years and nine months, Coughlan was the youngest member of the 25th Dáil. Her uncle, Clement Coughlan
Clement Coughlan
Clement Coughlan was an Irish politician and school teacher from County Donegal. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in a 1980 by-election as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála for Donegal. He only served in public office for two years before his sudden death in a road traffic accident on 1 February 1983...
, was a TD from 1980 until his death in 1983, in a road traffic accident while her father, Cathal Coughlan, was a TD from 1983 to 1986 when he died after a short illness. The death of her father resulted in Coughlan being co-opted onto Donegal County Council
Donegal County Council
Donegal County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Donegal in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment. The head of the council has the title of Mayor...
in 1986 and launching her own political career.
Coughlan remained on the backbenches of the Dáil for the first thirteen years of her career as a TD, before being appointed a Junior Minister. During this period, she served on a number of Oireachtas
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
committees, including the Joint Committee on Tourism, Sport and Recreation and the Joint Committee on the Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
where she served as Chairperson. Coughlan was also a member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Body. In 1994, Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
became leader of Fianna Fáil and Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (Ireland)
The Leader of the Opposition in the Republic of Ireland is the politician who, de facto, leads the Parliamentary Opposition in the lower house of the Irish Parliament, Dáil Éireann. The current incumbent is Micheál Martin TD of the Fianna Fáil party....
. In early 1995, he named his new front bench, including Coughlan as Spokesperson on Educational Reform. She served in this position until 1997 but was not included in the cabinet
Irish Government
The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...
or junior ministerial
Minister of State (Ireland)
A Minister of State in Ireland is of non-Cabinet rank, attached to one or more Departments of State of the Government of Ireland....
team when the party came to power.
Minister of State
In February 2001, Coughlan received her first ministerial position, that of Minister of State (Junior Minister) at the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the IslandsMinister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs
The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is a senior minister at the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is Frances Fitzgerald, TD.-Overview:...
(with special responsibility for the Gaeltacht and Islands). In this role for just sixteen months, she was responsible for securing Government approval for the general scheme of the Official Languages Equality Bill, which aimed to confirm the language rights of citizens and outline their rights when dealing with the State in either official language. She also oversaw an amended Gaeltacht Housing Act come into force, updating the supports available for Irish speaking households building in, or moving to, the Gaeltacht. The Commission on Irish in the Gaeltacht (Comisiún na Gaeltachta) also completed its work under her guidance and Coughlan saw its report approved and published. During her time in this role, she also established a Working Group on the Creation of Employment in the Gaeltacht. In addition, during her tenure Coughlan oversaw significant investment in island infrastructure and in the connection of islands to the national electricity grid, including Inishbofin Island
Inishbofin, Donegal
Inishbofin is an island off the coast of Machaire Rabhartaigh , County Donegal, Ireland. It is a 120-hectare land mass long known as a fishing and farming village, a place where generations of inhabitants have spoken Irish. The current population numbers about 36...
, off the County Donegal coast, which was connected for the first time in 2002 by using an under water cable from the mainland.
Minister for Social and Family Affairs: 2002-04
After the 2002 general electionIrish general election, 2002
The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday, 17 May 2002 just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern...
, Coughlan was promoted to the cabinet as Minister for Social and Family Affairs
Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Ireland)
The Minister for Social Protection is the senior minister at the Department of Social Protection in the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Social Protection is Joan Burton, TD.-Overview:...
. Her time in Social and Family Affairs saw increases in social welfare payments and the extension of family supports. She established the Family Support Agency with a mandate to support families, promote stability in family life, prevent marital breakdown and foster a supportive community environment for families at a local level.
Coughlan received criticism for changes she made regarding the availability of rent supplement. This was portrayed as targeting the weaker sections of society at a time when the Irish economy was reasonably strong. She was also widely criticised for cuts she made as Minister to entitlements for widows and widowers after the death of a spouse. The cuts were part of a wider drive for a reduction in government spending in autumn 2002. However, many considered these and other similar cutbacks to have been forced upon her by Charlie McCreevy
Charlie McCreevy
Charles "Charlie" McCreevy is a former Irish politician. He was the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services from 2004–2010. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD in 1977 and held the seat in Kildare until 2004 when he became Ireland's European Commissioner...
– who was Minister for Finance
Minister for Finance (Ireland)
The Minister for Finance is the title held by the Irish government minister responsible for all financial and monetary matters. The office-holder controls the Department of Finance and is considered one of the most important members of the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Finance is...
at the time, and who was blamed for many of his decisions. She was also involved in resolving a dispute over payments with the country’s dentists.
During her time as Minister for Social and Family Affairs, she was praised for introducing large increases in Child Benefit and in pensions. Her work on the pensions element of her portfolio also saw her introduce Personal Retirement Savings Accounts. Coughlan also established the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman and provided additional funding and support for the State's Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS).
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: 2004-08
In a 2004 cabinet reshuffle, Coughlan succeeded Joe WalshJoe Walsh (Irish politician)
Joe Walsh is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for Cork South West and was first elected as a TD at the 1977 general election. He lost his seat in 1981 but regained it again in 1982 and served as a TD until retiring at the 2007 general election...
as Minister for Agriculture and Food, becoming the first woman to hold that portfolio in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
During her time in this role the country's last two remaining sugar factories, owned by Greencore
Greencore
Greencore Group plc is a food company in Ireland.It was established by the Irish Government in 1991 to take over Irish Sugar, the nationalised sugar production company. 55% of the group was listed on the Irish Stock Exchange that year, over the years additional placements have led to almost 100%...
, were closed – the Carlow
Carlow
Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...
factory closed on 11 March 2005. Mallow
Mallow, County Cork
Mallow is the "Crossroads of Munster" and the administrative capital of north County Cork, in Ireland. The Northern Divisional Offices of Cork County Council are located in the town....
, Ireland’s last sugar factory to remain open, closed on 12 May 2006, after operating for 77 years. Farmers and others were critical of the decision. They criticised the government's and the Minister's roles – both were seen as not doing enough to try to stop the closures, though they had retained some control over the factories since they had been privatised
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
a number of years before. As sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
growers now had nowhere to sell their sugar beet, cultivation of the crop ceased in Ireland. Coughlan also headed this Department at a time when the spread of bird flu from abroad looked very likely to occur, especially in 2006.
Coughlan was re-appointed to the portfolio on 14 June 2007 following the 2007 general election, with the additional responsibility of fisheries as Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Shortly after her re-appointment Coughlan had to put in place measures to deal with the threat of the potential spread of foot and mouth disease from Britain – in early August 2007.
Throughout her time in this Ministry, Coughlan was involved in ongoing WTO
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
trade talks.
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment: 2008-10
Following Bertie Ahern's resignation on 6 May 2008, Coughlan, in a cabinet re-shuffle, became TánaisteTánaiste
The Tánaiste is the deputy prime minister of Ireland. The current Tánaiste is Eamon Gilmore, TD who was appointed on 9 March 2011.- Origins and etymology :...
and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ireland)
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is the senior minister at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is Richard Bruton, TD...
on 7 May 2008 by newly appointed Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 7 May 2008 to 9 March 2011. He was head of a coalition government led by Fianna Fáil which until 23 January 2011 had the support of the Green Party and independent TDs.Cowen was also leader of Fianna Fáil from 7 May...
.
She was blamed for the failed 2008 first referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon
Treaty of Lisbon
The Treaty of Lisbon of 1668 was a peace treaty between Portugal and Spain, concluded at Lisbon on 13 February 1668, through the mediation of England, in which Spain recognized the sovereignty of Portugal's new ruling dynasty, the House of Braganza....
, dealing a devastating blow to the "Yes" campaign when she falsely stated "Yes, we do have one Commissioner but other larger member states have more than one Commissioner". Responding to a row over medical cards she displayed insufficient mathematical skill, saying "Of the savings of €100 million, €86 million is for GPs and €30 million is for pharmacists".
Her performance as Tánaiste in defence of the October 2008 budget was criticised by opposition politicians and the media, with Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
's Leo Varadkar
Leo Varadkar
Leo Varadkar is an Irish Fine Gael politician. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Dublin West constituency since June 2007. He is currently the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, being appointed on 9 March 2011....
publicly comparing Coughlan to gaffe-prone Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
. Varadkar's comments were challenged by broadcaster John Bowman and Sunday Tribune
Sunday Tribune
The Sunday Tribune was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to tabloid. Former editors include Conor Brady, Vincent Browne,...
journalist Justine McCarthy, as well as by Coughlan herself.
Coughlan announced a third change in the budgetary position, in her local constituency, prior to Cabinet agreement and five days before the responsible Minister for Social and Family Affairs announced it to the nation, via RTÉ Radio.
Coughlan acted to clean up years of wasteful spending by executives at the state training and employment agency, FÁS
Foras Áiseanna Saothair
An Foras Áiseanna Saothair , referred to in English as the Training and Employment Authority and commonly known as FÁS , is a state agency in Ireland with responsibility for assisting those seeking employment...
, and was considered to have taken a tough line with Director General, Rody Molloy, who was forced to resign in November 2008.
The 2008 fall in the value of sterling against the euro saw the price gap between North and South widen and shoppers cross to Northern Ireland to the detriment of businesses in the South. Coughlan asked multiple retailers to reduce their margins south of the border and provide better value to consumers in the South. Research from Forfás
Forfás
Forfás is the national policy advisory board for enterprise, trade, science, technology and innovation in the Republic of Ireland. The agency was established in January 1994 under the and is run by a board appointed by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, to whom the agency is...
, concluded that only a five per cent difference in the cost of goods between North and South was justifiable. The findings highlighted retailers' larger margins in the South in relation to their operations in the North and Coughlan queried why the price differential in many identical goods was substantially in excess of 5%. Coughlan said: "I don't own a shop. The Government doesn't own a shop. It's up to Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
, it's up to Superquinn
Superquinn
Superquinn is an Irish supermarket chain. Until 2005, the company was entirely privately held by the Quinn family. It is now a subsidiary of Select Retail Holdings Limited....
, it's up to Aldi
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
, it's up to Lidl
Lidl
Lidl is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany that operates over 7,200 stores across Europe. The company's full name is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG...
; it's up to them to cut their prices. They need to ensure that that happens; they have to do something about it."
When retailers continued to remain silent on the price differential, Coughlan sent in the Competition Authority to investigate supply chains in the retail sector.
Coughlan was condemned for doing "too little too late" in relation to large scale loss of employment in a Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
facility in Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
, despite successfully retaining 2,000 Dell employees in Ireland. She also successfully secured over €22 million of European Globalisation Fund money from the benefit of the workers made redundant in Limerick.
Coughlan has been accused by an opposition spokesperson of being unable to debate exchequer figures.
Coughlan acted to close loopholes in company law that made it possible for bank directors not to have to disclose the full extent of their indebtedness to the bank in its published accounts. She also strengthened the powers of the Director of Corporate Enforcement to enforce company law provisions.
On 24 April 2009, one of Coughlan's demoted junior minister
Minister of State (Ireland)
A Minister of State in Ireland is of non-Cabinet rank, attached to one or more Departments of State of the Government of Ireland....
s, John McGuinness
John J. McGuinness
John J. McGuinness is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency since 1997...
, criticised Coughlan and Cowen for their lack of leadership being given to the country. He said: "She's not equipped to deal with the complex issues of dealing with enterprise and business within the department. And neither is the department". McGuinness' credibility was subsequently undermined when it was revealed that he had hired external PR advice in an effort to undermine Coughlan and enhance his own profile as a Minister of State within her Department.
In April 2009 she denied there would be a supplementary budget - one was announced five days later - also claiming that the public finances were under control at the same time.
Coughlan has been described as Calamity Coughlan after the gaffe-prone minister was left red-faced in September 2009 after she erroneously referred to the theory of evolution as having been formulated by Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
. Later that month she apparently let slip the date of a general election while speaking about the budget when Brian Cowen was in New York. She also memorably called her Green Party colleagues "na glasraí" - Irish language for "the vegetables".
Minister for Education and Skills: 2010-2011
On 23 March 2010, following a cabinet reshuffle, she was moved to the newly named Department of Education and Skills, while retaining the position of Tánaiste. One of Coughlan's first initiatives in the portfolio was to voice her support for the introduction of a CAO points bonus for students studying higher level maths. She re-vamped the Student Maintenance Grant application procedure, streamlining administration and getting the scheme out two months earlier than in previous years.Minister for Health and Children: 2011
Following the resignation of Mary HarneyMary Harney
Mary Harney is a former Irish politician. She served as Tánaiste from 1997–2006, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from 1997–2004, and as Minister for Health and Children from 2004 to 2011...
in January 2011, Coughlan was also appointed as Minister for Health and Children.
Loss of seat: 2011
At the 2011 general election, Coughlan lost her seat to IndependentIndependent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidate Thomas Pringle
Thomas Pringle (Irish politician)
Thomas Pringle is an Irish left wing independent politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Donegal South West constituency at the 2011 general election, unseating the incumbent Tánaiste Mary Coughlan. He was previously a member of Donegal County Council having been elected as an...
. Her first preference vote more than halved from 26.5% in 2007 to just over 11%. The loss of her seat was considered the most high profile casualty of the Fianna Fáil meltdown. Coughlan will receive a lump sum of €237,000 with an annual pension of €140,000.
LGBT rights issues
During her time as Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Coughlan became involved in a number of LGBT rights controversies. In March 2004, Coughlan introduced the Social Welfare Amendment Act 2004 in response to a case involving same-sex partner benefits. Under the Equal Status Act, 2000, a gay pensioner successfully petitioned the Equality Authority to allow his male partner to travel as his 'spouse' using the pensioner's travel pass. The legislation which Coughlan subsequently produced limited the meaning of the word 'spouseSpouse
The term spouse generally refers to a partner in a marriage:* Husband, referring to a male partner* Wife, referring to a female partner* In some usages, a partner in a civil union, domestic partnership or common-law marriage- See also :* Bride...
' to include only married couples; this was regarded by the Opposition parties and LGBT rights campaigners as discriminatory towards same-sex couples as there is no legal recognition of same-sex unions in the Republic of Ireland. Two months later, Coughlan caused comment at a European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
conference on family and social policy by stating that Ireland would never be ready for same-sex marriage or gay adoption.
During her time in Social and Family Affairs, Coughlan did, however, produce a report discussing new definitions of 'the family' which recommended a more progressive approach to the matter. This influenced the Government's 2008 civil union
Civil union
A civil union, also referred to as a civil partnership, is a legally recognized form of partnership similar to marriage. Beginning with Denmark in 1989, civil unions under one name or another have been established by law in many developed countries in order to provide same-sex couples rights,...
legislation.
Treaty of Lisbon
As a proponent of the Treaty of LisbonTreaty of Lisbon
The Treaty of Lisbon of 1668 was a peace treaty between Portugal and Spain, concluded at Lisbon on 13 February 1668, through the mediation of England, in which Spain recognized the sovereignty of Portugal's new ruling dynasty, the House of Braganza....
, Coughlan was noted to have "quietly withdrawn" from the first referendum campaign after she embarrassed the Government in a radio interview by not knowing the number of European Commissioners. Over a period of four days, Coughlan stated that the EU's larger nations still had two Commissioners each. In fact, the bigger states lost their second places on the Commission in 2004. According to an Irish Times editorial, "how someone who had spent several years around an EU Council of Ministers' table could not know that is extraordinary".
Personal life
Mary Coughlan is married to David Charlton, a GardaGarda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
who lost a leg in a serious car accident a few years after they were married. They were married when Coughlan was aged 26, two years after they met – David was working as a Garda on duty at Leinster House
Leinster House
Leinster House is the name of the building housing the Oireachtas, the national parliament of Ireland.Leinster House was originally the ducal palace of the Dukes of Leinster. Since 1922, it is a complex of buildings, of which the former ducal palace is the core, which house Oireachtas Éireann, its...
at the time. They have two children – one son, cathal and one daughter, Maeve. They live at Frosses
Frosses
Frosses is a small village in County Donegal, Ireland. It is situated in the south of the county on the R262 regional road and it lies 7 miles west of Donegal Town. Due to the village's small size, a popular joke emerged that one side of the village didn't speak to the other, one side being the...
, a village just west of Donegal Town. Coughlan is a fluent Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
speaker.
External links
- Profile: Mary Coughlan - Quite contrary Tribune News, 8 March 2009 - A profile of Mary Coughlan