Niall Collins

Niall Collins (born 30 March 1973) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister of State for Skills and Further Education since July 2020. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick County constituency since 2016, and from 2011 to 2016 for the Limerick constituency and from 2007 to 2011 for the Limerick West constituency.[1]

Niall Collins
TD
Minister of State
2020–Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Teachta Dála
Assumed office
February 2016
ConstituencyLimerick County
In office
February 2011 – February 2016
ConstituencyLimerick
In office
May 2007 – February 2011
ConstituencyLimerick West
Personal details
Born (1973-03-30) 30 March 1973
Limerick, Ireland
Political partyFianna Fáil
SpouseEimear Collins (m. 2010)
Relations
Children2
Alma materLimerick Institute of Technology
Websiteniallcollinstd.ie

He served as a member of Limerick County Council for the Bruff Local electoral area, being first elected to the council at the 2004 local elections.[2] Collins was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 2007 general election for Limerick West. He was elected on the first count; he received the ninth-highest vote in the country and the highest vote of any of the newcomers to the 30th Dáil.

His grandfather James Collins represented Limerick West in the Dáil from 1948 until 1967. His uncle Gerry Collins is a former Minister and MEP, who was a TD for Limerick West from 1967 to 1997. Another uncle, Michael J. Collins, sat for Limerick West in the Dáil from 1997 until he retired in 2007.

He has served in various Fianna Fáil Front Bench roles, he has served as Opposition Spokesperson for Justice and Equality from 2011 to 2016, Opposition Spokesperson for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation from May 2016 to March 2018 and Opposition Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Trade from March 2018 to June 2020.

Collins was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science with responsibility for Skills and Further Education in July 2020.

In February 2023, political news website The Ditch published a story claiming that Collins had misled Limerick County Council about his place of residence in a 2001 planning application.[3] Collins said he was "entirely satisfied" that his planning application for his family home and that he met the correct planning criteria.[4] He told the Dáil that the article in The Ditch was "misleading and inaccurate".[4] The Tánaiste Micheál Martin defended Collins saying that he was entitled to seek planning permission.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Niall Collins". Oireachtas Members Database. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  2. "Niall Collins". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  3. "Fianna Fáil minister of state Niall Collins lied about homeownership on planning application". The Ditch. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  4. "Niall Collins insists planning permission was properly granted". The Irish Times. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  5. "Niall Collins was entitled to seek planning permission, says Martin". Irish Examiner. 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
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