Máire Hoctor

{{Short description|Irish former Fianna Fáil politician (b. 1963)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}

{{Use Hiberno-English|date=August 2022}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Máire Hoctor

| image =

| nationality = Irish

| office = Minister of State

| subterm = 2007–2009

| suboffice = Social and Family Affairs

| subterm1 = 2007–2009

| suboffice1 = Health and Children

| subterm2 = 2007–2009

| suboffice2 = Environment, Heritage and Local Government

| office3 = Teachta Dála

| term_start3 = May 2002

| term_end3 = February 2011

| constituency3 = Tipperary North

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|01|20|df=y}}

| birth_place = Nenagh, County Tipperary, Ireland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Fianna Fáil

| spouse =

| alma_mater = St Patrick's College, Maynooth

| profession = Teacher

|}}

Máire Hoctor (born 20 January 1963) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician. She was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Tipperary North constituency from 2002 to 2011.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/M%C3%A1ire-Hoctor.D.2002-06-06/|title=Máire Hoctor|work=Oireachtas Members Database|access-date=19 September 2009|archive-date=28 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028215200/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/M%C3%A1ire-Hoctor.D.2002-06-06/|url-status=live}}

She was educated at St. Mary's secondary school, Nenagh and St Patrick's College, Maynooth. Before her election she worked as a secondary school teacher in St. Joseph's CBS, Nenagh.

Hoctor was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD for Tipperary North at the 2002 general election. She was re-elected at the 2007 general election.{{cite web|url=http://www.electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=4854|title=Máire Hoctor|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=19 September 2009|archive-date=13 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513090016/http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?id=4854|url-status=live}} She is a former member of North Tipperary County Council and of Nenagh Town Council.

Hoctor was a member of various Oireachtas Committees at different stages in the 2002–07 Fianna Fáil–Progressive Democrats government.

In 2007, legislation was passed to increase the number of Ministers of State from 17 to 20, and in July 2007 Hoctor was nominated by Bertie Ahern to be appointed by the government as Minister of State at the Department of Social and Family Affairs, at the Department of Health and Children, and at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, with special responsibility for Older People. She was re-appointed to the same positions in 2008, but in April 2009, she was not re-appointed, after Brian Cowen requested the resignation of all Ministers of State to reduce the number from 20 to 15.{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0422/politics.html|title=Two new junior ministers revealed|work=RTÉ News|date=22 April 2009|access-date=1 April 2021|archive-date=23 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423034246/http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0422/politics.html|url-status=live}}

She lost her seat at the 2011 general election.