Dermot Ahern
Encyclopedia
Dermot Christopher Ahern (born 20 April 1955) is a former Irish
Fianna Fáil
politician. He was a Teachta Dála
(TD) for the Louth constituency
from 1987 to 2011. He also served as Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (1997–2002), Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (2002–04), Minister for Foreign Affairs (2004–08) and Minister for Justice and Law Reform (2008–11).
, County Louth
, in 1955. He was educated at the Marist College in Dundalk
and later attended University College Dublin
. Afterwards he studied at the Law Society of Ireland
and was admitted as a solicitor
. He then started a successful career as a solicitor.
Ahern currently lives in Blackrock
near Dundalk with his wife and their two children. His pastimes include playing golf
and windsurfing
. He is a former Ulster windsurfing champion. Ahern is a former chairman of Rock Celtic soccer club and was also treasurer of Dundalk F.C.
Supporter's Club.
in 1979 as a Fianna Fáil
representative. He served on that authority until 1991. Ahern was elected to Dáil Éireann
at the 1987 general election
and has retained his seat ever since. The following year he was appointed assistant government chief whip
by Taoiseach
Charles Haughey
.
Three years later in 1991 the Minister for Finance, Albert Reynolds
, failed in his attempt to oust Haughey as leader. Ahern, who supported Haughey, was rewarded with the post of Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach
with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of Defence. In February 1992 Haughey was forced to resign and Albert Reynolds became party leader and Taoiseach. Ahern became a backbencher for the entire duration of the Fianna Fáil-Labour Party
government.
In late 1994 Bertie Ahern
(no relation) succeeded Albert Reynolds as leader of Fianna Fáil. Ahern once again returned to the senior ranks of the party becoming chief whip. In 1997 he was sent to London to check out rumours that another senior party member, Ray Burke, had received a payment from Joseph Murphy. The claim was denied and Burke was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs two days later following the return to power of Fianna Fáil. Burke later served a jail sentence for corruption including the Murphy bribe. Ahern has since taken a stance on the issue of political corruption in Ireland publicly calling for an outright ban of corporate and trade union donations to political parties.
In more recent times Ahern's religious beliefs have been questioned especially in the way that his religious ideology may influence his political standpoint.
a Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats
came to power and Ahern was appointed Minister for Community, Social and Family Affairs. As Social Affairs Minister Ahern also introduced the largest social welfare and pension increases in Irish history. He also achieved pension rights for Irish people who had emigrated from Ireland prior to 1953.
Ahern was appointed Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. In this post he was critical of the main telecommunications provider Eircom
. His Department introduced a system of Policy Directions to the telecoms regulator mandating, amongst other things, Flat Rate Internet Access. It also devised the Republic of Ireland
's Broadband Action Plan which entailed the government building an alternative fibre infractructure and co-location facilities. He sanctioned a reform package for public service broadcasting in Ireland and introduced a Charter for Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ
. His Department introduced a programme to provide free broadband internet access to schools. He secured EU recognition and protection of the Irish Box
, an area of Irish territorial waters
out of bounds to Spanish and Portuguese fishermen.
in the 1960s. Shortly into his tenure in April 2005 Ahern was appointed one of four special envoys for United Nations
reform by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan
.
Ahern spoke of the 'Third Phase' in Irish foreign policy which he calls "Active Neutrality". This is a vision of non-aligned Ireland taking up its international responsibilities by acting as a bridge between the developed and developing world, and by acting as a world leader in conflict and disasters. In this regard he took an extremely outspoken line on the crisis in Darfur
, calling on the international community to 'wake up to the reality of rape, murder and destruction in the region. More recently Ahern has announced the establishment of an Irish
Volunteer Corps and a Rapid Response Corps which would harness existing expertise amongst the Irish public to assist in the developing world. He has stated that, in foreign policy terms, 'the single greatest, economic, environmental, geopolitical issue now facing us is climate change.'
As Foreign Minister, Ahern was heavily involved in the Northern Ireland peace process
. Like many others in his party he describes himself as a republican and stated at the 2006 Seán Moylan
commemoration in Cork
that "as an Irish Republican my main personal and political goal is to live to see the unity of Ireland
."
As Foreign Minister he led a campaign to secure a path to permanent residency for the 25,000 to 50,000 undocumented Irish citizens resident in the United States. He also introduced free passports for Irish senior citizens and had called for a comprehensive ban on the use of cluster munitions. Ahern was the first government Minister to call for a constitutional referendum on the issues arising from the supreme court decision on statutory rape, five months before it became government policy.
Brian Cowen
. On 29 April 2009, Ahern proposed a controversial amendment to the Defamation Bill adding the crime of blasphemy
to the statute books.
The amendment was passed in the Dáil on the 9 July 2009 with only an hour of the debate set aside for the bill, and was then narrowly passed by the Seanad
the next day by walk-through vote, after being defeated in the initial electronic vote. This amendment has been criticized by many within the public sphere, free speech campaigners and some ministers of European Union member states. As of 2010, the law
is in effect.
Ahern is responsible for the Civil Partnership Bill 2009 published on 26 June 2009.
He received the Murphy Report
into child sexual abuse
in the Dublin Diocese
in June 2009. Most of the report was published on 26 November 2009 of that year, though parts were not, due to names that were undergoing prosecution.
As part of a reshuffle in March 2010
, the Equality affairs section of the department was moved to the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs.
Ahern said that in March 2010 he will propose to the Cabinet a constitutional amendment
deleting the constitutional prohibition on blasphemy
when the children's rights amendment comes up. The children's rights amendment is set to be put to referendum in the Autumn 2010. Ahern was opposed to a stand-alone referendum that would have cost €3 or €4 million, his spokesman added. At the time, Ahern wrote in The Irish Times
: “My intention is to remove the possibility of prison sentences and private prosecutions for blasphemy, currently provided for in Irish law. The only credible alternative to this move is a blasphemy referendum, which I consider, in the current circumstances, a costly and unwarranted diversion.”
On 15 November 2010, he described as 'fiction' the speculation that Ireland was about to seek financial aid from the European Union
.
He told RTÉ's The Week in Politics that 'nothing is going on at the direction of Government in relation to this.' On 21 November 2010, the Taoiseach
Brian Cowen
confirmed that Ireland had formally requested financial support from the European Union's European Financial Stability Facility
and the International Monetary Fund
.
, and said it was a "painful medical condition necessitating heavy medication". He retires to a combined annual ministerial and TD's pension of €128,300. He resigned as Minister for Justice and Law Reform on 19 January 2011.
which reads: "Homosexuality is a departure from normality and while homosexuals deserve our compassion they do not deserve our tolerance" and who described homosexuals as being "like lefthand drivers driving on the right-hand side of the road."
Ahern himself added: "Will we eventually see the day in this country when, as has happened in the USA, homosexuals will seek the right to adopt children? We should think seriously about this possibility". Following his appointment as Minister responsible for equality, Ahern has refused to be drawn on this matter and has not given an answer as to whether he still holds those opinions.
), which passed into law in July 2010 as "one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation to be enacted since independence."
on behalf of Michael McKevitt
, who has been convicted of directing terrorism. He said that had merely forwarded an email from McKevitts' wife, Bernadette Sands McKevitt
, who was a constituent in 2004.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
politician. He was a Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
(TD) for the Louth constituency
Louth (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Louth is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies...
from 1987 to 2011. He also served as Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (1997–2002), Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (2002–04), Minister for Foreign Affairs (2004–08) and Minister for Justice and Law Reform (2008–11).
Early and private life
Dermot Ahern was born in DundalkDundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
, County Louth
County Louth
County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
, in 1955. He was educated at the Marist College in Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
and later attended University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
. Afterwards he studied at the Law Society of Ireland
Law Society of Ireland
The Law Society of Ireland is the educational, representative and regulatory body of the solicitors' profession in the Republic of Ireland...
and was admitted as a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
. He then started a successful career as a solicitor.
Ahern currently lives in Blackrock
Blackrock, County Louth
Blackrock , is a seaside village just to the south of Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland. The village is in the townland of Haggardstown. The current population of the village is about 3,000....
near Dundalk with his wife and their two children. His pastimes include playing golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
and windsurfing
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
. He is a former Ulster windsurfing champion. Ahern is a former chairman of Rock Celtic soccer club and was also treasurer of Dundalk F.C.
Dundalk F.C.
Dundalk Football Club is a professional Irish football club based in Dundalk, County Louth. The club currently play in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. Founded in 1903, they are the second most successful team, in terms of trophies won, in the history of the League of Ireland. The...
Supporter's Club.
Early political career
Ahern was born into a family that had no association with party politics. He became involved in politics at a young age and became a member of Louth County CouncilLouth County Council
Louth County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Louth in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment. The head of the council has the title of Cathaoirleach...
in 1979 as a Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
representative. He served on that authority until 1991. Ahern was elected to Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
at the 1987 general election
Irish general election, 1987
The Irish general election of 1987 was held on 17 February 1987, four weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 20 January. The newly-elected 166 members of the 25th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 10 March when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed.The general election took place in...
and has retained his seat ever since. The following year he was appointed assistant government chief whip
Chief Whip
The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...
by Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Charles Haughey
Charles Haughey
Charles James "Charlie" Haughey was Taoiseach of Ireland, serving three terms in office . He was also the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil...
.
Three years later in 1991 the Minister for Finance, Albert Reynolds
Albert Reynolds
Albert Reynolds , served as Taoiseach of Ireland, serving one term in office from 1992 until 1994. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize...
, failed in his attempt to oust Haughey as leader. Ahern, who supported Haughey, was rewarded with the post of Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach
Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach
The Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, officially styled as the Minister of State at the Departments of the Taoiseach and Defence with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip, is the Chief Whip of the Government of Ireland and is the most senior Minister of State...
with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of Defence. In February 1992 Haughey was forced to resign and Albert Reynolds became party leader and Taoiseach. Ahern became a backbencher for the entire duration of the Fianna Fáil-Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
government.
In late 1994 Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
(no relation) succeeded Albert Reynolds as leader of Fianna Fáil. Ahern once again returned to the senior ranks of the party becoming chief whip. In 1997 he was sent to London to check out rumours that another senior party member, Ray Burke, had received a payment from Joseph Murphy. The claim was denied and Burke was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs two days later following the return to power of Fianna Fáil. Burke later served a jail sentence for corruption including the Murphy bribe. Ahern has since taken a stance on the issue of political corruption in Ireland publicly calling for an outright ban of corporate and trade union donations to political parties.
In more recent times Ahern's religious beliefs have been questioned especially in the way that his religious ideology may influence his political standpoint.
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (1997–2002)
Following the 1997 general electionIrish general election, 1997
The Irish general election of 1997 was held on Friday, 6 June 1997. The 166 newly elected members of the 28th Dáil assembled on 26 June 1997 when a new Taoiseach and government were appointed....
a Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats
Progressive Democrats
The Progressive Democrats , commonly known as the PDs, was a pro-free market liberal political party in the Republic of Ireland.Launched on 21 December 1985 by Desmond O'Malley and other politicians who had split from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the Progressive Democrats took liberal positions on...
came to power and Ahern was appointed Minister for Community, Social and Family Affairs. As Social Affairs Minister Ahern also introduced the largest social welfare and pension increases in Irish history. He also achieved pension rights for Irish people who had emigrated from Ireland prior to 1953.
Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (2002–04)
Following the return of the government at the 2002 general electionIrish general election, 2002
The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday, 17 May 2002 just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern...
Ahern was appointed Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. In this post he was critical of the main telecommunications provider Eircom
Eircom
Eircom Group LTD is a telecommunications company in the Republic of Ireland, and a former state-owned incumbent. It is currently the largest telecommunications operator in the Republic of Ireland and operates primarily on the island of Ireland, with a point of presence in Great Britain.As Bord...
. His Department introduced a system of Policy Directions to the telecoms regulator mandating, amongst other things, Flat Rate Internet Access. It also devised the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
's Broadband Action Plan which entailed the government building an alternative fibre infractructure and co-location facilities. He sanctioned a reform package for public service broadcasting in Ireland and introduced a Charter for Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
. His Department introduced a programme to provide free broadband internet access to schools. He secured EU recognition and protection of the Irish Box
Irish Conservation Box
The Irish Conservation Box or Biologically Sensitive Area is a Marine Protected Area stretching along the southwest coast of Ireland...
, an area of Irish territorial waters
Territorial waters
Territorial waters, or a territorial sea, as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is a belt of coastal waters extending at most from the baseline of a coastal state...
out of bounds to Spanish and Portuguese fishermen.
Minister for Foreign Affairs (2004–08)
Following a cabinet reshuffle in 2004 Ahern became Minister for Foreign Affairs, the first Louth TD to hold that position since Frank AikenFrank Aiken
Frank Aiken was a commander of the Irish Republican Army and later an Irish politician. A founding-member of Fianna Fáil, Aiken was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1923 and at each subsequent election until 1973...
in the 1960s. Shortly into his tenure in April 2005 Ahern was appointed one of four special envoys for United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
reform by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
.
Ahern spoke of the 'Third Phase' in Irish foreign policy which he calls "Active Neutrality". This is a vision of non-aligned Ireland taking up its international responsibilities by acting as a bridge between the developed and developing world, and by acting as a world leader in conflict and disasters. In this regard he took an extremely outspoken line on the crisis in Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
, calling on the international community to 'wake up to the reality of rape, murder and destruction in the region. More recently Ahern has announced the establishment of an Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
Volunteer Corps and a Rapid Response Corps which would harness existing expertise amongst the Irish public to assist in the developing world. He has stated that, in foreign policy terms, 'the single greatest, economic, environmental, geopolitical issue now facing us is climate change.'
As Foreign Minister, Ahern was heavily involved in the Northern Ireland peace process
Northern Ireland peace process
The peace process, when discussing the history of Northern Ireland, is often considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 Provisional Irish Republican Army ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of the Troubles, the Belfast Agreement, and subsequent political developments.-Towards a...
. Like many others in his party he describes himself as a republican and stated at the 2006 Seán Moylan
Seán Moylan
Seán Moylan was a Commandant of the Irish Republican Army and later a Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil politician...
commemoration in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
that "as an Irish Republican my main personal and political goal is to live to see the unity of Ireland
United Ireland
A united Ireland is the term used to refer to the idea of a sovereign state which covers all of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. The island of Ireland includes the territory of two independent sovereign states: the Republic of Ireland, which covers 26 counties of the island, and the...
."
As Foreign Minister he led a campaign to secure a path to permanent residency for the 25,000 to 50,000 undocumented Irish citizens resident in the United States. He also introduced free passports for Irish senior citizens and had called for a comprehensive ban on the use of cluster munitions. Ahern was the first government Minister to call for a constitutional referendum on the issues arising from the supreme court decision on statutory rape, five months before it became government policy.
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (2008–11)
Ahern was appointed Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform on the 7 May 2008 by the new TaoiseachTaoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 7 May 2008 to 9 March 2011. He was head of a coalition government led by Fianna Fáil which until 23 January 2011 had the support of the Green Party and independent TDs.Cowen was also leader of Fianna Fáil from 7 May...
. On 29 April 2009, Ahern proposed a controversial amendment to the Defamation Bill adding the crime of blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
to the statute books.
The amendment was passed in the Dáil on the 9 July 2009 with only an hour of the debate set aside for the bill, and was then narrowly passed by the Seanad
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
the next day by walk-through vote, after being defeated in the initial electronic vote. This amendment has been criticized by many within the public sphere, free speech campaigners and some ministers of European Union member states. As of 2010, the law
Blasphemy law in Ireland
In the Republic of Ireland, blasphemy is required to be prohibited by Article 40.6.1.i. of the 1937 Constitution. The common law offence of blasphemous libel was effectively replaced in 2009 by a new offence of "publication or utterance of blasphemous matter"...
is in effect.
Ahern is responsible for the Civil Partnership Bill 2009 published on 26 June 2009.
He received the Murphy Report
Murphy Report
The Murphy Report is the brief name of the report of an investigation conducted by government of Ireland into the Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin...
into child sexual abuse
Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin
The sexual abuse scandal in Dublin archdiocese is a major chapter in the series of sexual abuse cases in Ireland. The Irish government commissioned a statutory enquiry in 2006 that published the Murphy Report in November 2009....
in the Dublin Diocese
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dublin, , is a Roman Catholic archdiocese in eastern Ireland centred around the republic's capital city – Dublin. The see of Dublin was raised to the status of a Metropolitan Province by the Synod of Kells in 1152. Its jurisdiction includes much of the Province of...
in June 2009. Most of the report was published on 26 November 2009 of that year, though parts were not, due to names that were undergoing prosecution.
As part of a reshuffle in March 2010
Government of the 30th Dáil
The 30th Dáil was elected at the 2007 general election on 24 May 2007 and first met on 14 June when President Mary McAleese appointed Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach, on the nomination of Dáil Éireann...
, the Equality affairs section of the department was moved to the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs.
Ahern said that in March 2010 he will propose to the Cabinet a constitutional amendment
Constitutional amendment
A constitutional amendment is a formal change to the text of the written constitution of a nation or state.Most constitutions require that amendments cannot be enacted unless they have passed a special procedure that is more stringent than that required of ordinary legislation...
deleting the constitutional prohibition on blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
when the children's rights amendment comes up. The children's rights amendment is set to be put to referendum in the Autumn 2010. Ahern was opposed to a stand-alone referendum that would have cost €3 or €4 million, his spokesman added. At the time, Ahern wrote in The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
: “My intention is to remove the possibility of prison sentences and private prosecutions for blasphemy, currently provided for in Irish law. The only credible alternative to this move is a blasphemy referendum, which I consider, in the current circumstances, a costly and unwarranted diversion.”
On 15 November 2010, he described as 'fiction' the speculation that Ireland was about to seek financial aid from the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
He told RTÉ's The Week in Politics that 'nothing is going on at the direction of Government in relation to this.' On 21 November 2010, the Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 7 May 2008 to 9 March 2011. He was head of a coalition government led by Fianna Fáil which until 23 January 2011 had the support of the Green Party and independent TDs.Cowen was also leader of Fianna Fáil from 7 May...
confirmed that Ireland had formally requested financial support from the European Union's European Financial Stability Facility
European Financial Stability Facility
The European Financial Stability Facility is a special purpose vehicle financed by members of the eurozone to combat the European sovereign debt crisis. It was agreed by the 27 member states of the European Union on 9 May 2010, aiming at preserving financial stability in Europe by providing...
and the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
.
Retirement
On 30 November 2010, he announced he will not contest his Dáil seat at the 2011 general election, as he has rheumatoid arthritisRheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. The process produces an inflammatory response of the synovium secondary to hyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development...
, and said it was a "painful medical condition necessitating heavy medication". He retires to a combined annual ministerial and TD's pension of €128,300. He resigned as Minister for Justice and Law Reform on 19 January 2011.
Comments during debate on decriminalisation of Homosexuality
During the debate on decriminalisation of Homosexuality in the Dáil in 1993, he agreed with a statement by Fine Gael TD, Brendan McGahonBrendan McGahon
Brendan McGahon is a former Irish politician in the Fine Gael party. He was a Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth....
which reads: "Homosexuality is a departure from normality and while homosexuals deserve our compassion they do not deserve our tolerance" and who described homosexuals as being "like lefthand drivers driving on the right-hand side of the road."
Ahern himself added: "Will we eventually see the day in this country when, as has happened in the USA, homosexuals will seek the right to adopt children? We should think seriously about this possibility". Following his appointment as Minister responsible for equality, Ahern has refused to be drawn on this matter and has not given an answer as to whether he still holds those opinions.
Civil partnership
Ahern was responsible for introducing legislation recognising civil partnerships for same-sex couples. He declared the legislation (Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010
The Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 is an Act of the Oireachtas which allows civil partnerships. The act also provides rights for participants in long-term cohabiting relationships who have not entered into a civil partnership or marriage...
), which passed into law in July 2010 as "one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation to be enacted since independence."
Controversy over Michael McKevitt
Dermot Ahern denied claims that he had made representations to former Minister for Justice Michael McDowellMichael McDowell
Michael McDowell is a Senior Counsel in the Bar Council of Ireland and a former politician. A grandson of Irish revolutionary Eoin MacNeill, McDowell was a founding member of the Progressive Democrats political party in the mid-1980s...
on behalf of Michael McKevitt
Michael McKevitt
Michael McKevitt is an Irish republican who was convicted of directing terrorism as the leader of the paramilitary organisation, the Real IRA.-Background:...
, who has been convicted of directing terrorism. He said that had merely forwarded an email from McKevitts' wife, Bernadette Sands McKevitt
Bernadette Sands McKevitt
Bernadette Sands McKevitt is an Irish republican, and a former leading member of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement. She lived in the mainly loyalist Rathcoole area of Newtownabbey before her family were forced out of their home to live in the mainly republican West Belfast...
, who was a constituent in 2004.