Former Government Minister Denis Naughten says it's time now for a new generation of politicians as he prepares for a life away from public life. The outgoing Roscommon-Galway TD, first elected in 1997, announced his decision not to contest the General Election last year. The former Fine Gael member was expelled from the party in 2011 after he voted against the closure of Roscommon A&E. He served as Minsiter for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment from 2016 to 2018. Naughten resigned from this position following controversy around a series of meetings he had with the lead bidder for the National Broadband Plan. He was then re-elected in the Roscommon-Galway consituency in 2020 and last year said it would be his last term in Dáil Éireann. Speaking to Shannonside News, Denis said he'd miss the 'cut and thrust' of politics:
He said the election would be a difficult time for his family following the death of his brother John, who had been selected to run as a Fine Gael candidate in Roscommon-Galway:
