Former Minister Denis Naughten thanks Longford voters as he announces he will not contest next general election

Former Minister Denis Naughten has thanked Longford voters after he announced this evening (Monday, February 13) that he will not contest the next general election, which is due in 2025.

Deputy Naughten served as TD for the Longford / Roscommon constituency from June 1997 – May 2007, and from May 2007 to February 2016, he represented Roscommon / South Leitrim in the Dáil. He was re-elected for Roscommon–Galway in the 2016 and 2020 general elections.

He previously served as Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment from 2016 to 2018.

He voted against the government's decision to close the Roscommon County Hospital emergency department on July 6, 2011 and he lost the Fine Gael party whip the following day.

His late father Liam Naughten was also a Fine Gael TD and Senator.

In a statement, Independent TD Mr Naughten said, "I have decided, for both personal and professional reasons, after giving 26 years of my life to national politics that now is the time to step back and explore new opportunities.

I want to thank the people of counties Longford, Leitrim, Galway and Roscommon most sincerely for their support over the last quarter of a century. It has truly been an honour to represent the people from those counties in Dáil Éireann over that time.

I want to particularly thank the many people who canvassed for me over the years, some of whom had previously canvassed for my later father Liam.

I want to sincerely thank all the staff who have worked with me over the years, and I want to particularly mention Deirdre Concannon & Jill Mellor and also my family for their support over those years, which at times were very difficult and challenging.

I entered politics at a young age, in difficult circumstances, and it was always my intention to turn my hand to something outside politics. The time has now come for that to happen and to provide an opportunity for others to represent the people of this area in Dáil Éireann.

I provided support to the Government as an Independent TD at a time when political stability was required, representing my country at international level as Minister, furthering our collective national ambition towards a lower carbon society by imaginative and progressive policies on behalf of all our people. 

Since my initial election I have fought tirelessly for the improvement and delivery of our health services at both local and national level.  Whilst protecting our local services was a condition of my support for the Government, the establishment of an all-party Committee on Health - which produced the first Sláintecare report, and which was the genesis of our current pathway - I believe will ultimately prove to be a key turning point in the delivery of a proper and responsive healthcare system in Ireland. 

My achievement in ensuring the delivery of fibre optic broadband to every home in Ireland, something that I had worked on for over 15 years, is something that I regard as a significant step in improving access to the people of all local communities in Ireland that I was honoured to represent and serve.”