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MEP Jim
Higgins
Jim was elected to serve as
Member of the European
Parliament for the North-West
Ireland Constituency in June
2004. He is also a Member of the
Seanad Éireann - having been
elected on the Labour Panel in
July 2002.
Jim was first nominated to
the Irish Senate in 1981 by
Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald and
was subsequently elected on the
Labour Panel in 1983, where he
served until 1987.
Jim is quoted as saying: "I
am honoured and proud to have
been elected by the people of
the North-West Constituency to
represent them in the European
Parliament" That said; Jim will
not seek re-election to the
Seanad Éireann at the next
General Election.
A Member of Mayo County
Council from 1979-1995, Jim
served as Vice-Chairman of the
Council from 1980-1981.
In 1987 Jim was elected to
the Dáil to serve the people of
Mayo in North West Ireland and
was appointed Fine Gael's
spokesman on Justice, Equality
and Law reform the same year. He
was re-elected to the Dáil in
1989, 1992 and 1997.
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Fishing and coastal
resources are important
aspects for members of
the Constituency. |
As well as being appointed
Opposition Chief Whip Jim has
held a variety of shadow
ministerial posts including
Education and Public Enterprise
and Tourism.
In Government, Jim became a
Minister of State at the
Department of Finance and was
later appointed Minister of
State at the Department of the
Taoiseach, Department of Defence
and Government Chief Whip.
Jim was recognised as a
tenacious and effective Shadow
Minister. As Opposition
Spokesman on Education he
introduced the Education Bill
which was voted down by the then
Government.
As Justice, Equality and Law
Reform Spokesman he brought to
the Dáil's attention the 'Sheedy
Affair' which led to the forced
resignation of judges from the
High Court Judge and the Supreme
Court. For over two years he
brought to the Dáil the case of
the extended McBrearty family
who were wrongly accused of
murder. He raised allegations of
Garda corruption in County
Donegal which led to the
establishment of the ongoing
Morris Tribunal of Inquiry.
He was also responsible for
bringing before the Dáil a £30
million overspend by the state
transport company Iarnród
Éireann on a safety signalling
system which led to the
establishment of an all-party
parliamentary inquiry.Jim is a
former community school teacher.
He has twice been named Best
Individual Speaker at the Junior
Chamber Ireland debating
championships (1978, 1979) and
has been captain of the
International Tripartite
Debating Team.
In the European Parliament
Jim is a Member of the Committee
on Regional Development and a
Substitute Member of the
Committee on Transport and
Tourism. He is also a Member of
the Interparliamentary
Delegation for relations with
Canada and a Substitute Member
of the Interparliamentary
Delegation for relations with
Japan. |
