Mary Butler (politician)

Mary Butler (born 29 September 1966) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People since July 2020. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Waterford constituency since 2016. She previously served as Chair of the Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation from 2016 to 2020.[1][2]

Mary Butler

TD
Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People
Assumed office
1 July 2020
TaoiseachMicheál Martin
Preceded byJim Daly
Chair of the Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
In office
4 April 2016 – 1 July 2020
Preceded byDamien English
Succeeded byMaurice Quinlivan
Teachta Dála
Assumed office
February 2016
ConstituencyWaterford
Personal details
Born (1966-09-29) 29 September 1966
Waterford, Ireland
NationalityIrish
Political partyFianna Fáil
Spouse(s)Michael Butler (m. 1988)
Children3
Alma materWaterford Institute of Technology
Constituency office, Waterford

She was the Fianna Fáil junior Spokesperson for Older People and Chair of Oireachtas Cross Party group on Dementia. She had been a member of Waterford City and County Council from 2014 to 2016.[3]

She called for a No vote in the 2018 referendum on Abortion.[4]

Canvassing controversy

Butler had former Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Kenneally involved in canvassing for her ahead of the 2016 general election, at which she was first elected to Dáil Éireann.[5] A cousin of Kenneally's was convicted of 1980s sexual abuse of boys, and Kenneally had previously acknowledged that he had been aware of his cousin's crimes before his sentencing to 14 years imprisonment.[6] Butler received criticism for Kenneally's involvement in her 2016 campaign.[5] However, four years later, she again had Keneally canvass for her ahead of the 2020 general election.[5] Kenneally's canvassing for Mary Butler in 2020 became public knowledge when it emerged that he had visited the homes of some of those who had been abused to seek their votes.[5] It also emerged that Butler was renting her constituency office from Kenneally, and when it did so, she stated in an interview that she would move elsewhere and did so in early 2020.[5]

References
  1. "Mary Butler". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  2. "Election 2016: Mary Butler". RTÉ. 27 February 2016.
  3. "Mary Butler". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  4. "Cross-party group of politicians calls for No vote in referendum". The Irish Times. 16 May 2018.
  5. Parker, Christy (26 February 2020). "Mary Butler apologises for 'huge error of judgment'". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  6. Tiernan, Damien (25 September 2016). "Former TD 'was told cousin abused boys but he said nothing'". Sunday Independent. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
Oireachtas
Preceded by
Paudie Coffey
Ciara Conway
John Deasy
John Halligan		 Teachta Dála for Waterford
2016–present
With: David Cullinane
John Deasy
John Halligan		 Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Jim Daly		 Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People
2020–present		 Incumbent


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