Joe McHugh

Former Education Minister Joe McHugh will not contest the next general election for Fine Gael.

He added: “I’ll never forget the pain of having to take €30 billion of an economy over a very short couple of years… “After putting the children to bed on a Friday night, two missed calls and Leo asking me to become Minister for Education. I couldn’t believe it. It’s very hard to be part of all of that.” and I just realised how much I missed them," he said. “I want to thank all those who have given me such support and encouragement over the years, I deeply appreciate it. “It is an enormous privilege to be a public representative.

Donegal TD indicates intention to retire from politics when current Dáil is dissolved.

It is understood that Mr McHugh suffered ill health in the past year but has recovered. Discussions within Government on the scheme are continuing. His decision to retire will bring to a close a political career that seemed destined to feature a lengthy stay in Cabinet. A junior minister from 2014, he was a close ally of Leo Varadkar, and when Mr Varadkar became Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach, Mr McHugh was appointed Government chief whip. “I have three children and, as they grow older, I want to be around more and available to them. Politics is a 24/7 job that demands absolute commitment. The Fine Gael TD for Donegal Joe McHugh has decided not to contest the next general election, indicating his intention to retire from politics when the current Dáil is dissolved.

The Donegal politician was Minister for Education and Skills from 16 October 2018 until 27 June 2020.

“The reason for this is a simple one. Politics is a 24/7 job that demands absolute commitment. “I have always given my full commitment to my role as a public representative and this won’t change in this current Dáil, however, after the next election, I want to focus more on my family life."

The Fine Gael TD said he made the decision to step away from politics in order to spend more time with his family.

“It is an enormous privilege to be a public representative. “I want to thank all those who have given me such support and encouragement over the years, I deeply appreciate it. He said that he and McHugh were elected to the Dáil together in 2007 and served on the Fine Gael front bench in opposition and as Ministers in Government. “Politics is a 24/7 job that demands absolute commitment. In a statement, the Tánaiste thanked McHugh for his work “for successive Governments, for Ireland, for Fine Gael and for his constituents”. “I will continue to work closely with the Fine Gael organisation, and I know with the determination we have in the party, among our members and our County Councillors, we will present a strong team in the county in the next election,” he said.

Donegal Deputy Joe McHugh has announced that he will not be seeking a nomination to stand in the next General Election. McHugh said his primary reason for ...

He has been and will continue to be a dedicated and hard-working member of Fine Gael and Dáil Éireann. Deputy McHugh concluded by saying: “I want to thank all those who have given me such support and encouragement over the years, I deeply appreciate it. “It is an enormous privilege to be a public representative. “The reason for this is a simple one. His priority, he said, will be Mica redress. He was Minister for Education and Skills from 2018 until 2020.