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Helen McEntee | |
|---|---|
 McEntee in 2018 | |
| Minister for Justice | |
| Assumed office 1 June 2023 | |
| Taoiseach | |
| Preceded by | Simon Harris |
| In office 1 November 2021 – 25 November 2022 | |
| Taoiseach | Micheál Martin |
| Preceded by | Heather Humphreys |
| Succeeded by | Heather Humphreys |
| In office 27 June 2020 – 27 April 2021 | |
| Taoiseach | Micheál Martin |
| Preceded by | Charles Flanagan |
| Succeeded by | Heather Humphreys |
| Minister of State | |
| 2017–2020 | European Affairs |
| 2016–2017 | Health |
| Teachta Dála | |
| Assumed office March 2013 | |
| Constituency | Meath East |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 June 1986 Navan, County Meath, Ireland |
| Political party | Fine Gael |
| Spouse |
Paul Hickey (m. 2017) |
| Relations |
|
| Children | 2 |
| Parent |
|
| Education | St. Joseph's Secondary School |
| Alma mater | |
| Website | Personal page on Fine Gael website |
Helen McEntee (born 8 June 1986) is an Irish Fine Gael politician. A Teachta Dála (TD) for the Meath East constituency since 2013, she has been Minister for Justice since June 2020, having previously served as a minister of state from 2016 to 2020. Her justice portfolio was temporarily reassigned during two six-month periods of maternity leave in 2021 and 2022–2023.
Her father, Shane McEntee, was a Fine Gael TD from 2005 to 2012. She began working at Leinster House in 2010 as his personal assistant. Following his suicide in December 2012, she successfully contested the 2013 Meath East by-election to replace him. After serving as Minister of State with responsibility for Mental Health and Older People from 2016 to 2017 and Minister of State for European Affairs from 2017 to 2020, she was appointed Minister for Justice in June 2020. She gave birth to her first child in April 2021, becoming the first cabinet member in the country's history to become pregnant, give birth, or take maternity leave. During two periods of maternity leave in 2021 and 2022–2023, she was a minister without portfolio while Heather Humphreys and then Simon Harris served as Minister for Justice.
McEntee has taken a strong stance on violence against women, pledging a zero-tolerance approach following the high-profile murder of Ashling Murphy in January 2022. However, she has faced criticism over public safety, especially following the November 2023 Dublin riot, when she survived a vote of no confidence tabled by opposition party Sinn Féin. Her effort to introduce hate speech legislation, first announced in 2020, has attracted domestic and international criticism. She has also faced criticism over her handling of issues relating to immigration and asylum seekers.