Damien English (41), served in the last government as Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government with special responsibility for housing and urban development
Between 2014 and 2016 he was Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation, working in the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
Trained as a management accountant, he first entered politics in 1999 and was elected to Meath County Council for the Navan electoral area.
He was elected to the 29th Dáil in 2002 for the then five-seater Meath constituency and was, at 24, the youngest TD returned at that election. He was elected secretary to the parliamentary party in 2002.
Throughout his career, he has been a deputy spokesman on a number of topics including banking, arts, drugs issues and enterprise. He was a member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly from 2002 to 2007.
English, from Kells, is married to Laura Kenny and they have four children.
