Dick Roche

{{Infobox officeholder

| image = Dick Roche, 2004 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Roche in 2004

| office = Minister of State

| suboffice = European Affairs

| subterm = 2007–2011

| suboffice1 = European Affairs

| subterm1 = 2002–2004

| office2 = Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government

| taoiseach2 = Bertie Ahern

| term_start2 = 29 September 2004

| term_end2 = 14 June 2007

| predecessor2 = Martin Cullen

| successor2 = John Gormley

| office3 = Teachta Dála

| term_start3 = June 1997

| term_end3 = February 2011

| term_start4 = February 1987

| term_end4 = November 1992

| constituency4 = Wicklow

| office5 = Senator

| term_start5 = 17 February 1993

| term_end5 = 6 June 1997

| constituency5 = Administrative Panel

| term_start6 = 3 December 1992

| term_end6 = 17 February 1993

| constituency6 = Nominated by the Taoiseach

| birth_name = Richard Roche

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1947|3|30|df=y}}

| birth_place = Wexford, Ireland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = Irish

| party = Fianna Fáil

| spouse = {{marriage|Eleanor Griffin|1976}}

| children = 4

| alma_mater = University College Dublin

|}}

Richard Roche (born 30 March 1947) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister of State for European Affairs from 2002 to 2004 and 2007 to 2011 and Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from 2004 to 2007. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wicklow constituency from 1987 to 1992 and 1997 to 2011. He was a Senator for the Administrative Panel from 1992 to 1997.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Dick-Roche.D.1987-03-10/|title=Dick Roche|work=Oireachtas Members Database|access-date=30 June 2009|archive-date=8 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184508/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Dick-Roche.D.1987-03-10|url-status=live}}

Early and private life

Roche was born in Wexford. He was educated at Wexford Christian Brothers School and University College Dublin (UCD) where he received Bachelor of Commerce Degree and a master's degree in Public Administration.

Roche is married to Eleanor Griffin, and they have three sons and one daughter. They live in County Wicklow.

On 15 December 2008, he was held hostage during a robbery at the Druids Glen Marriott Hotel and Country Club in County Wicklow.{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1215/breaking39.html|title=Roche held at gunpoint during Co Wicklow hotel robbery|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=15 December 2008|access-date=7 March 2009|archive-date=12 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012031325/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1215/breaking39.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1215/111672-wicklow/|title=Minister held at gunpoint during hotel raid|work=RTÉ News|date=15 December 2008|access-date=7 March 2009|archive-date=19 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019011227/http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1215/wicklow.html|url-status=live}}

Political career

Roche worked as a public servant at the Departments of Posts and Telegraphs, Transport and Power, Finance and at the Department of Economic Planning and Development. In 1978, he was appointed lecturer in Public Administration and Public Finance at UCD. In 1978, Roche became the first Irish citizen to be awarded a United Nations Human Rights fellowship. He subsequently became a member of the Irish Commission for Justice and Peace and served as a time as Chairman of the commission.

Roche began his political career when he was elected for Greystones at the 1985 Wicklow County Council election. Two years later, at the 1987 general election he was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD for Wicklow.{{cite web|url=http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3756|title=Dick Roche|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=30 June 2009|archive-date=3 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203042907/http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3756|url-status=live}}

Roche lost his seat at the 1992 general election, but was elected to 20th Seanad. He introduced the Freedom of Information Bill 1995, based closely on the Norwegian freedom of information legislation.{{cite web|date=7 Jun 1995|title=Freedom of Information Bill, 1995: Second Stage|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/seanad/1995-06-07/6/|work=Seanad Debates – Vol. 143 No. 15}} He was returned to the 28th Dáil at the 1997 general election and remained a TD until 2011.

Following the 2002 general election Roche was appointed as Minister of State for European Affairs, at the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs. In his role, he played a large role during Ireland's presidency of the European Council in 2004. In 2004, Roche was conferred with the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana by the Government of Estonia for his support of Estonia's accession to the European Union.{{cite web|url=http://www.vm.ee/?q=en/node/3790 |title=Estonian president hands over decorations |work=Estonian Review |date=29 Feb 2004 |access-date=10 Sep 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608185511/http://www.vm.ee/?q=en%2Fnode%2F3790 |archive-date=8 June 2012}} In 2004, he was appointed as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. He retained his seat at the 2007 general election, but on the formation of the new government, was the only member of the outgoing cabinet to be demoted. His last act as minister was the signing of an order that was to lead to work being resumed on the controversial M3 motorway near the Hill of Tara.{{cite news|url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0614/90078-tara/|title=Roche approves resumption of work at Tara|work=RTÉ News|date=14 June 2007|access-date=14 June 2007|archive-date=17 July 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070717083927/http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0614/tara.html|url-status=live}} He was re-appointed as Minister of State for European Affairs, during which Ireland conducted two referendums on the Treaty of Lisbon.

2011 election defeat

He lost his seat at the 2011 general election, polling only 5.5% of the first preference vote, down from the 15.8% he polled four years previously. Roche prolonged the count by requesting a recount when it was found that only three votes separated him and his Fianna Fáil running mate Pat Fitzgerald, an action which was criticised by some other candidates including Fitzgerald{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}, who also accepted that there wouldn't be a seat for Fianna Fáil.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/dick-roche-eliminated-after-recount-1.872514|newspaper=The Irish Times|title=Dick Roche eliminated after recount|date=28 February 2011|access-date=28 February 2011|archive-date=4 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304202425/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0228/breaking31.html|url-status=live}} He was not present at the announcement of his elimination which was greeted by cheering and applause from a number of people at the count centre.{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/elections/latest-news/loud-applause-as-roche-eliminated-after-vote-challenge-26709446.html | title=Loud applause as Roche eliminated after vote challenge | first=Kevin | last=Keane | date=1 March 2011 | newspaper=Irish Independent | location=Ireland | access-date=12 February 2020 | archive-date=13 February 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213015352/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/elections/latest-news/loud-applause-as-roche-eliminated-after-vote-challenge-26709446.html | url-status=live }}