Who is Olwyn Enright, T.D?
Fine Gael TD, Olwyn Enright was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 2002 and subsequently re-elected to represent Laois and Offaly in 2007.
She hails from a family steeped in Irish politics with her father, Tom, serving as a TD and a Senator for Laois/Offaly, for many years. A qualified solicitor, Olwyn entered politics in 1999 when she was elected to Offaly County Council for the Birr Electoral Area.
She was then elected to Dáil Éireann in May 2002 becoming the first woman elected to serve Laois/Offaly. She is married to Fine Gael's Joe McHugh TD (Donegal North-West).
Following her election, Olwyn was promoted to the Front Bench by Party Leader, Enda Kenny, TD where she held the position as Fine Gael’s Spokesperson on Education and Science from 2002 to 2007.
In this portfolio, she was forthright in her campaign to provide equal access to education for all children and championed many causes in the education sector, in particular in areas of early education, further education and access at all levels for those with disabilities.
She mounted a sustained and vigorous campaign to ensure that proper vetting procedures were put in place for all those working with children and vulnerable adults. She was instrumental in drafting a detailed policy on child vetting for Fine Gael entitled ‘Keeping Children Safe’ and ensuring that ‘soft information’ would also be used in the vetting process with legislation due shortly on this issue.
Since her 2002 election, Olwyn has established a high profile both on the national and local stage. The Deputy is strongly committed to her constituency and continues to have a highly visible presence as your local politician.
Olwyn hopes that she is a good role model for young people in Ireland and believes that in her influential position, she can work to improve the lives of people from all walks of life through her work in Dáil Éireann.
Olwyn endeavours to present a strong social conscience as well as being a committed politician and using these traits throughout her work on the Joint Committees of Social Protection and the Constitutional Amendment on Children.
She served as Fine Gael’s Spokesperson on Social Protection from 2007 to July, 2010. Recently, Olwyn launched a co authored report on the ‘High Levels of Indebtedness in Irish Society’, which is just one example of the many issues that she working to highlight.
In a more difficult period then when Olwyn was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 2002, her commitment as a legislator and both as a national and local politician remains the same – working for the betterment of the people of both Laois and Offaly and also the wider Irish society.
