Kathleen Lynch (politician)

Not to be confused with Kathleen Lynn.

Kathleen Lynch TD
File:Kathleen Lynch 2013.jpg Lynch in 2013
Minister of State for Primary Care, Mental Health and Disability
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 March 2011
Preceded by	New office
Teachta Dála
Incumbent
Assumed office May 2002
In office November 1994 – June 1997
Constituency	Cork North–Central
Personal details
Born	(1953-06-07) 7 June 1953 County Cork, Ireland
Nationality	Irish
Political party	Labour Party
Other political affiliations	Democratic Left, Workers' Party
Spouse(s)	Bernard Lynch
Children	4

Kathleen Lynch (born 7 June 1953) is an Irish Labour Party politician. She is a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cork North–Central constituency and is the Minister of State for Primary Care, Mental Health and Disability.

Biography

Kathleen Lynch was born in Cork.

Career

She first became involved in politics in 1985 when she was elected to Cork Corporation for the Workers' Party. She came to prominence as a campaigner against service charges being introduced by the corporation. When that party split in 1992, Lynch and other members of the Cork organisation were initially undecided as to their stance, but she subsequently decided to follow former party president Proinsias De Rossa and the bulk of the party's TDs into the new organisation which later took the name Democratic Left. Lynch was first elected to Dáil Éireann as Democratic Left TD for Cork North–Central at a by-election in 1994 caused by the death of Labour Party TD Gerry O'Sullivan. She lost her Dáil seat at the 1997 general election but was re-elected again at the 2002 general election, this time for the Labour Party following the merger of Democratic Left with that party in 1999.

She is married to Bernard Lynch and they have three daughters and one son. Bernard Lynch was a member of Official Sinn Féin. She is a sister-in-law to Ciarán Lynch who is a Labour Party TD for Cork South Central and of Cork City Council Councilor Catherine Clancy, who originally had been co-opted to replace her on the council.

On 10 March 2011, she was appointed as Minister of State for Disability, Equality and Mental Health. The position was changed to Minister of State for Primary Care, Mental Health and Disability in July 2014.

Controversies

In April 2008 she was involved in a controversy where she wrote a letter testifying the good character of the parents of a man accused of raping two teenage sisters. The man was convicted and sentenced for 13 years. In a statement she said: "Having heard an interview with one of the victims in the case, who was clearly distressed by my letter and having considered the matter and discussed it with colleagues I now accept that it was inappropriate for a TD to have become involved in any way in a case of such seriousness. If my action has in any way added to the ordeal of the two victims in this case, then I deeply regret that and offer them my apologies."

In June 2011, Kathleen Lynch caused controversy when she appointed her husband, Bernard, to the role as personal assistant, which is a taxpayer-funded role. The Mail on Sunday then reported that Bernard Lynch had been convicted of the murder of Larry White in Cork in 1975, and that the conviction had been overturned by the appeals court when a statement was ruled inadmissible because the legal period of detention had elapsed when the statement was taken.

External links

• Kathleen Lynch's page on the Labour Party website

Oireachtas
Preceded by Gerry O'Sullivan (Labour Party)	Democratic Left Teachta Dála for Cork North–Central 1994–1997	Succeeded by Noel O'Flynn (Fianna Fáil)
Preceded by Liam Burke (Fine Gael)	Labour Party Teachta Dála for Cork North–Central 2002–present	Incumbent
Political offices
New office	Minister of State for Primary Care, Mental Health and Disability 2011–present	Incumbent