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Paudie Coffey

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Paudie Coffey
Minister of State
2014–2016Environment, Community and Local Government
Senator
In office
8 June 2016 – 29 June 2020
ConstituencyNominated by the Taoiseach
In office
13 September 2007 – 25 February 2011
ConstituencyIndustrial and Commercial Panel
Teachta Dála
In office
February 2011 – February 2016
ConstituencyWaterford
Personal details
Born (1969-05-15) 15 May 1969 (age 55)
Waterford, Ireland
Political partyFine Gael
Children3
Alma mater

Paudie Coffey (born 15 May 1969) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Minister of State from 2014 to 2016. He served as a Senator from 2016 to 2020, after being nominated by the Taoiseach, and previously from 2007 to 2011 for the Industrial and Commercial Panel. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Waterford constituency from 2011 to 2016.[1]

Political career

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He was first elected to Waterford County Council in 1999 for the Suir local electoral area, and re-elected in 2004. He was an unsuccessful candidate at the 2007 general election for the Waterford constituency, but was subsequently elected to Seanad Éireann in July 2007 as a Senator for the Industrial and Commercial Panel.[2]

Coffey was elected for the Waterford constituency at the 2011 general election gaining 9,698 (18.1%) first preference votes and was subsequently elected.[2] On 15 July 2014, he was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government with responsibility for Housing, Planning and Co-ordination of the Construction 2020 Strategy.[3] He lost his seat at the 2016 general election.[2][4]

Coffey was instrumental in the introduction of the Construction Contracts Act 2013. The Act regularises payment terms between construction companies, and puts in place a dispute resolution process aimed at reducing days lost and costs on construction projects.

He was nominated by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny to the 25th Seanad in May 2016.[5]

Kilkenny People court case

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Coffey alleged he was defamed by the Kilkenny People newspaper on 15 January 2016. He was nicknamed 'Coffey the Robber' after the newspaper published an article containing a press release by Carlow-Kilkenny Fine Gael TD John Paul Phelan. The comparison was based on William Crotty, who was an 18th-century criminal known as Crotty the Robber.[6] Coffey settled out of court on 31 July 2019.[7]

Retirement

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On 16 December 2019, he announced that he was retiring from politics and would not contest the next general election.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Paudie Coffey". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 7 November 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
  2. ^ a b c "Paudie Coffey". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 21 February 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
  3. ^ "Simon Harris among new Ministers of State". RTÉ News. 15 July 2014. Archived from the original on 20 July 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  4. ^ McGrath, Meadhbh (6 May 2016). "Revealed: The salaries TDs pocketed over 10 weeks of government talks". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 10 May 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  5. ^ Bardon, Sarah (27 May 2016). "FF leader selects three of Taoiseach's 11 Seanad appointees". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 28 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  6. ^ "Fine Gael TD was surprised by 'Coffey the Robber' headline on article". The Irish Times. 30 November 2010. Archived from the original on 1 December 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Fine Gael Senator Paudie Coffey settles 'highway robber' defamation case". Irish Independent. 31 July 2019. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  8. ^ "FG's Paudie Coffey will not contest general election". RTÉ News. 16 December 2019. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
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