John Curran (Irish politician)

{{Short description|Irish Fianna Fáil politician (born 1960)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}

{{Use Hiberno-English|date=November 2021}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| image = File:John Curran politician.jpg

| office = Chair of the Committee on Housing and Homelessness

| term_start = 4 April 2016

| term_end = 10 February 2020

| predecessor = New office

| successor = Office abolished

| office1 = Minister of State

| suboffice1 = Government Chief Whip

| subterm1 = 2010–2011

| suboffice2 = Defence

| subterm2 = 2010–2011

| suboffice3 = Education and Science

| subterm3 = 2009–2010

| suboffice4 = Justice, Equality and Law Reform

| subterm4 = 2009–2010

| suboffice5 = Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs

| subterm5 = 2008–2010

| office6 = Teachta Dála

| term_start6 = February 2016

| term_end6 = February 2020

| term_start7 = May 2002

| term_end7 = February 2011

| constituency7 = Dublin Mid-West

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|6|17|df=y}}

| birth_place = Lucan, Dublin, Ireland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = Irish

| party = Fianna Fáil

| spouse =

| children =

| alma_mater = University College Dublin

|}}

John Curran (born 17 June 1960) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Chair of the Committee on Housing and Homelessness from 2016 to 2020 and a Minister of State from 2008 to 2011. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Mid-West constituency from 2002 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/John-Curran.D.2002-06-06/|title=John Curran|work=Oireachtas Members Database|access-date=28 February 2019|archive-date=2019-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301013358/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/John-Curran.D.2002-06-06/|url-status=live}}

Following his re-election in 2016, he chaired the all-party Oireachtas Housing and Homelessness Committee. This committee launched their final report on 17 June 2016.

Curran was elected to South Dublin County Council at the 1999 local elections representing the Clondalkin–Newcastle local electoral area. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 2002 general election when the constituency was first created. He was re-elected on the first count at the 2007 general election.{{cite web|url=http://www.electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=772|title=John Curran|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=14 September 2009|archive-date=12 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312063220/http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?id=772|url-status=live}}

On 13 May 2008, shortly after Brian Cowen became Taoiseach, he was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs with special responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy and Community Affairs.{{cite journal|title=Appointment of Ministers of State|url=https://irisoifigiuil.ie/archive/2008/may/Ir2705081.PDF|volume=2008|issue=43|pages=562–563|date=16 May 2008|journal=Iris Oifigiúil|access-date=4 May 2021|archive-date=4 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504121601/https://irisoifigiuil.ie/archive/2008/may/Ir2705081.PDF|url-status=live}}{{cite Irish legislation|year=2008|type=si|number=218|name=Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) Order 2008|date=24 June 2008|access-date=12 April 2021}} On 22 April 2009, he was reassigned within the same department, and also as Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science and at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, with responsibility for integration policy.{{cite journal|title=Appointment of Ministers of State|url=https://www.irisoifigiuil.ie/archive/2009/june/IR190609-NEW.PDF|pages=833–834|date=19 June 2009|journal=Iris Oifigiúil|issue=49|volume=2009|access-date=4 May 2021|archive-date=4 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210504094548/https://www.irisoifigiuil.ie/archive/2009/june/IR190609-NEW.PDF|url-status=live}}{{cite Irish legislation|year=2009|type=si|number=200|name=Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Delegation of Ministerial Functions) Order 2009|date=26 May 2009|access-date=9 April 2021}}

On 23 March 2010 he was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach with responsibility as Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of Defence.{{Cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2010-03-24/3/|title=Ministerial Appointments: Announcement by Taoiseach – Dáil Éireann (30th Dáil) – Vol. 705 No. 2|date=23 March 2010|access-date=16 July 2020|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|archive-date=18 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218114732/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2010-03-24/3/|url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0323/politics.html |title= Killeen, Carey promoted to cabinet |work=RTÉ News |date=23 March 2010 |access-date=23 March 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224191033/https://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0323/129033-politics/ |archive-date=24 February 2014}}

He lost his seat at the 2011 general election, but regained it in the 2016 general election.{{Cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/election-2016/candidates/754422-john-curran/ |title=John Curran |website=RTÉ News |access-date=28 February 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211045922/https://www.rte.ie/news/election-2016/candidates/754422-john-curran/ |archive-date=11 February 2021}} He then chaired the All-Party Oireachtas Social Protection Committee. He lost his seat again at the 2020 general election.{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/election2020/dublin-mid-west/dublin-mid-west-results-jubilant-scenes-as-gino-kenny-takes-final-seat-1.4165217 |title=Dublin Mid West results: Jubilant scenes as Gino Kenny takes final seat. Fine Gael's Emer Higgins also elected while Fianna Fáil's John Curran loses out |first=Kitty |last=Holland |date=10 February 2020 |orig-date=9 February 2020 |newspaper=The Irish Times |location=Dublin |access-date=16 June 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210616192820/https://www.irishtimes.com/election2020/dublin-mid-west/dublin-mid-west-results-jubilant-scenes-as-gino-kenny-takes-final-seat-1.4165217 |archive-date=16 June 2021 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/election2020/dublin-mid-west |title=Election 2020: Dublin Mid-West |date=10 February 2020 |newspaper=The Irish Times |location=Dublin |access-date=16 June 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210616193303/https://www.irishtimes.com/election2020/dublin-mid-west |archive-date=16 June 2021 }}

In December 2022, he was named as one of the members of the Electoral Commission which is due to be established in early 2023.{{cite web |title=Government approves nomination of ordinary members to An Coimisiún Toghcháin (Electoral Commission) |url=https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/76c85-government-approves-nomination-of-ordinary-members-to-an-coimisiun-toghchain-electoral-commission/ |website=Government of Ireland |access-date=16 December 2022 |date=14 December 2022}}