At the 1999 local elections, she was elected as a member of Dublin City Council for the Rathmines local electoral area, she sought to contest the 2004 local elections[6] for the Rathmines ward but was not selected[7] at the convention, losing out to Edie Wynne and Brian Gillen. She was not subsequently added to the ticket.
Before being elected a TD, she had been a high-profile Chair of the Council for the Status of Women from 1988 to 1992.
She was the Fine Gael candidate at the 2007 general election for the Dublin Mid-West constituency, but was not elected.[8] She was elected to the Seanad in July 2007. On 12 September 2007, she was appointed leader of the Fine Gael group in Seanad Éireann and was also Fine Gael Seanad Spokesperson on Health and Children and a member of the Fine Gael Front Bench.
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (2011–2014)
She was elected as a Fine Gael TD for the Dublin Mid-West constituency at the 2011 and 2016 general elections.[6] On 9 March 2011, she was appointed as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. In the role, she spoke out forcefully against the Catholic Church's role in covering up child abuse.[9] She piloted the referendum on children's rights in 2012. As a result, Article 42a was inserted into the Constitution.[10]
She enacted the Children First legislation, to raise awareness of child abuse and neglect and to improve child protection.[11]
Fitzgerald has spoken out in support of young families and believes the government should take a more proactive role in helping parents and children. "I feel so strongly about the State taking a more proactive role around childcare, paternity leave and parental leave," she noted. "I do want to see us getting to the place where the State is more supportive when it comes to childcare. We have been slow enough on that."[14]
In early 2016, when gangland activity became an issue in Dublin, Fitzgerald committed that there would be a permanent armed response unit in Dublin.[15]
On 6 May 2016, Fitzgerald was reappointed as Minister for Justice and Equality. She was also promoted to the position of Tánaiste by TaoiseachEnda Kenny.[16][17]
After the 2017 Fine Gael leadership election, brought about by Enda Kenny's resignation as party leader, Fitzgerald "seriously considered" putting her name down as a candidate for leader but ultimately decided against it.[18]
After Leo Varadkar was elected Leader of Fine Gael, and by extension Taoiseach-designate, he was asked whether he would make his rival Simon Coveney Tánaiste. He confirmed Fitzgerald would remain as Tánaiste, saying "we have a Tánaiste, it's Frances Fitzgerald and I think she's doing an excellent job".[19] On his appointment as Taoiseach, Varadkar retained Fitzgerald as Tánaiste, but moved her from Justice and Equality to Business, Enterprise and Innovation. Charles Flanagan succeeded her as Minister of Justice and Equality.[20]
Resignation
In November 2017, Fitzgerald was accused of interference in the case of a whistleblower, who had claimed widespread malpractice and corruption in the Garda Síochána.[21] She denied the allegation. Leader of the OppositionMicheál Martin threatened a vote of no confidence, jeopardising the confidence and supply between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.[21] Whilst retaining support from many within her party, several Fine Gael deputies called on her to resign.[22] On 28 November 2017, Fitzgerald relented, offering her resignation to the Taoiseach, which he accepted.[23][22]
Fitzgerald was later cleared of blame by the Collins Report in March 2018.[24] In October 2018, the third interim report of the Disclosures Tribunal found that she had "selflessly" resigned in the national interest.[25]
European Parliament
On 4 March 2019, Fine Gael announced that Fitzgerald would be one of their two candidates for the Dublin constituency in the 2019 European Parliament election.[26] Former SDLP leader Mark Durkan, who joined Fine Gael to contest the election, was also announced as the second candidate.[27] She was elected as an MEP on the 14th count, with 16.23% of first preference votes.
^McNamara, Maedhbh (2020). A woman's place is in the Cabinet: Women ministers in Irish governments 1919–2019. Drogheda: Sea Dog Books. ISBN978-1-913275-06-8.
