Statement by An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, on Minister Jim Daly

“Jim Daly met me earlier this week to inform me of his decision not to contest the next General Election.

“Jim is a close colleague and has done a stellar job as Minister of State for Mental Health & Older People.

“I have always admired his directness, his capacity for independent thought and his unique way of doing things.

“He has secured massive resources for mental health, with the Budget for that area now approaching €1 billion per annum.

“He is also pressing on with plans to make the Fair Deal scheme fairer for farmers and business people, and a new transformative statutory scheme for home care.

“Fine Gael was the strongest party in Cork South West in the last general election with 32% of the vote.

“We have an excellent candidate already selected in Senator Tim Lombard, and we will build on our last performance in the next election.”

ENDS