Jan O'Sullivan

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Jan O'Sullivan
TD
Jan O'Sullivan.jpg
Minister for Education and Skills
Assumed office
11 July 2014
Preceded by Ruairi Quinn
Minister of State for Housing and Planning
In office
20 December 2011 – 11 July 2014
Preceded by Willie Penrose
Succeeded by Paudie Coffey
Minister of State for Trade and Development
In office
10 March 2011 – 20 December 2011
Preceded by New office
Succeeded by Joe Costello
Teachta Dála
Assumed office
February 2011
Constituency Limerick City
Teachta Dála
In office
March 1998 – February 2011
Constituency Limerick East
Senator
In office
February 1993 – July 1997
Constituency Administrative Panel
Personal details
Born (1950-12-06) 6 December 1950 (age 74)
Clonlara, County Clare, Ireland
Nationality Irish
Political party Labour Party
Other political
affiliations		 Democratic Socialist Party (1982–91)
Spouse(s) Paul O'Sullivan
Children 2
Alma mater Trinity College, Dublin,
University College Cork
Religion Church of Ireland

Jan O'Sullivan (née Gale; born 6 December 1950) is an Irish Labour Party politician. She is a Teachta Dála (TD) for Limerick City constituency,[1] and the Minister for Education and Skills.

Personal life

O'Sullivan was born in Clonlara, County Clare and educated at Villiers Secondary School, Limerick, where her father was a journalist. After graduating from Trinity College, Dublin, she took a Higher Diploma in Education at University College Cork. After working as teacher for a short period of time, she studied as a Montessori teacher[2] while living in Canada. After returning to Ireland, in the late 1970s, O'Sullivan helped to run Limerick's Family planning clinic.

A member of the Church of Ireland, she married a Roman Catholic, Paul O'Sullivan, with whom she has one daughter and one son.[2] She chose to spend time at home while having her children and once they were in school she ran a playgroup in the mornings, spent time with the children in the afternoon and political work in the evenings.[3]

Political career

Democratic Socialist: 1982–90

O'Sullivan entered politics in 1982 by joining the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), a small party founded by Limerick TD Jim Kemmy, who had previously been a member of the Labour Party. There had been no political tradition in her family – her parents had supported different parties – and her choice of party was based on her support for Kemmy's anti-nationalist stance on Northern Ireland, and his advocacy of family planning services and a pro-choice approach to abortion.[3]

O'Sullivan was elected to Limerick City Council in 1985, and also served as a member of the Mid-Western Health Board from 1991 to 2003.[4]

Labour: 1990s

O'Sullivan joined the Labour Party when the DSP merged with Labour in 1990, having been one of the DSP's negotiators in the merger discussions.[3] At the 1992 general election as running-mate of the DSP's founder Jim Kemmy she narrowly missed winning a second seat for Labour in Limerick East.[5] In 1993, she was elected to the 20th Seanad on the Administrative Panel, and became leader of the Labour group in Seanad Éireann.[2]

From 1993 to 1994 O'Sullivan was Mayor of Limerick, and her religion twice became an issue in 1994 when she prevented from opening a Christian Brothers school and from reading a lesson at a mass for Limerick's civic week. However, her religious denomination was not the only issue. Family planning was deeply controversial in Ireland from the 1970s to the 1990s, particularly in Limerick where Kemmy had lost his Dáil seat at the November 1982 general election after being denounced by the Catholic Church for his opposition to the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland. Those such as O'Sullivan involved in the family planning services which Kemmy had helped found were labelled "Kemmy's Femmies".[2]

O'Sullivan was unsuccessful again at the 1997 general election,[5] but after Kemmy's death in September 1997, she was selected as the Labour Party candidate for the by-election in March 1998. She held the seat in a close 3-way contest, becoming the first female TD from County Limerick since Kathleen O'Callaghan in 1921. Both the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael candidates in the by-election were women,[6] but O'Sullivan remained Limerick's only female TD.

Labour: 2000s

O'Sullivan was re-elected at the 2002, 2007 and 2011 general elections, and at the 1999 local elections became Limerick's first alderwoman (as well as its last, since the title was abolished by the Local Government Act 2001).

In the 28th Dáil, O'Sullivan was the Labour Party spokesperson on Justice and Equality and a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Equality and Women's Rights.[2] In the 29th Dáil (2002–2007) she was Vice-Chair of the both the Dáil Select Committee on Education and Science and the Joint Committee on Education and Science,[1] as well as her party's spokesperson on Education and Science.[4]

After Labour's disappointing performance at the 2007 general election, Pat Rabbitte resigned as leader and the outgoing deputy leader, Liz McManus, did not seek re-election. Eamon Gilmore was elected unopposed as leader,[7] and in a frontbench reshuffle on 16 September 2007, moved O'Sullivan to the high-profile role of spokesperson for Health.[8] O'Sullivan stood for the Deputy leadership, and was narrowly defeated by Dublin West TD Joan Burton, by 1480 votes to 1276.[9]

Government: 2011–present

On 10 March 2011, she was appointed as Minister of State for Trade and Development. On 20 December 2011, she was appointed as Minister of State for Housing and Planning.[10]

In July 2014, she was appointed Minister for Education and Skills.

In March 2015, the Government, with O'Sullivan the minister responsible, confirmed it would lock away for 75 years any statements it received from victims of child sexual abuse (almost twice the normal length). This decision was criticised by survivors.[11]

References

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External links

Civic offices
Preceded by
Joe Quinn
 Mayor of Limerick
1993–1994		 Succeeded by
Dick Sadler
Oireachtas
Preceded by Labour Party Teachta Dála for Limerick East
1998–2011		 Constituency abolished
New constituency Labour Party Teachta Dála for Limerick City
2011–present		 Incumbent
Political offices
New office Minister of State for Trade and Development
Mar.–Dec. 2011		 Succeeded by
Joe Costello
Preceded by Minister of State for Housing and Planning
2011–2014		 Succeeded by
Paudie Coffey
Preceded by Minister for Education and Skills
2014–present		 Incumbent
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  10. ↑ O'Sullivan was described as a "Super junior" minister at this time, because unlike other Ministers of State, she attended cabinet meetings. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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