Martin Cullen (born 2 November 1954) is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for Waterford since 1987 and has been Minister for Transport since 2004. Cullen was previously a member of Seanad Éireann (1989-1992) and has also served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government (2002-2004). November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (IPA ; English translation: Soldiers of Ireland, but traditionally translated as Soldiers of Destiny) is the largest political party in Ireland. ... A Teachta Dála (Irish for Dáil Deputy, pronounced chock-ta dawla) is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Irish Oireachtas or National Parliament. ... The Waterford parliamentary constituency spans the entire area of the county in Munster, taking in Waterford City, Dungarvan and Tramore. ... The Minister for Transport is the chief person at the Department of Transport in the Irish Government. ... The Seanad Chamber The Seanad meets in the former picture gallery in Leinster House. ...

Martin Cullen was born in Waterford in 1954. He was educated at Waterpark College and the Regional Technical College, Waterford. He worked as a sales manager for a wine company before becoming interested in politics. Cullen was was one of 14 Progressive Democrat TDs elected to Dáil Éireann in the 1987 general election, the first election after the party was founded. During his first period as a TD he served as his party's spokesperson on Tourism, Transport & Communications (1987-1988) and Industry & Commerce (1988-1989). Cullen lost his seat at the 1989 general election but was elected to Seanad Éireann instead. During the intervening period he was elected to Waterford City Council, before returning to the Dáil in the 1992 general election. WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52. ... Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) is a university-level educational institution situated in Waterford, Ireland. ... The Progressive Democrats (in Irish An Páirtí Daonlathach) is a free market liberal party in the Republic of Ireland founded in 1985. ... The Dáil Chamber Dáil Éireann is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. ... The Irish general election of 1987 was held on February 17, 1987, four weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on January 20. ... The Irish general election of 1989 was held on Friday, June 15, 1989, three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on May 25. ... The Seanad Chamber The Seanad meets in the former picture gallery in Leinster House. ... The Irish general election of 1992 was held on Wednesday, November 25, 1992, almost three weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on November 5. ...

The following year Cullen was appointed party spokesperson on Enterprise & Employment. In 1994 Cullen became disilussioned with the new party leader, Mary Harney, when he wasn't allowed stand as a candidate in the European elections. He subsequently resigned from the party, eventually joining Fianna Fáil. In 1997 a Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats coalition government came to power and Cullen was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Finance. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Mary Harney (born 11 March 1953) is an Irish politician who has been the leader of the Progressive Democrats (the fourth largest political party in Ireland) since 1993. ... Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (IPA ; English translation: Soldiers of Ireland, but traditionally translated as Soldiers of Destiny) is the largest political party in Ireland. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (IPA ; English translation: Soldiers of Ireland, but traditionally translated as Soldiers of Destiny) is the largest political party in Ireland. ... The Progressive Democrats (in Irish An Páirtí Daonlathach, literal back-translation: The Democratic Party) is a free market liberal party in the Republic of Ireland founded in 1985. ... A Minister of State, in the Republic of Ireland, is a junior minister of non-cabinet rank, attached to one or more Departments of State of the cabinet. ...

The re-election of the government in 2002 saw Cullen join the Cabinet as Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government. As minister responsible for elections, his department was responsible for the voting system used. When electronic voting was proposed for the 2004 local and European elections, he stood by the proposed system despite opposition from within the Dáil and from some members of the public. When the system was scrapped his reputation was damaged. Arguably more significantly in the long term, he was also the Minister responsible for the Planning and Development(Amendment) Act, 2002. This act amended Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 to remove the requirement for builders to provide social housing on 20% of their developments. Instead, Cullen's plan allowed builders to subvert this requirement by paying the local council instead and thus ensured that a central motivation of the 2000 Act, namely to avoid run down council estates by integrating public and private housing, was overthrown. As of March 2006 the vast majority of builders have successfully avoided integrating social housing in their new developments and instead opted for making a payment to the local council. For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is responsible for: election matters such as the general election and presidential elections, including electronic voting; the environment, Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland; heritage; local authorities and related services. ... Electronic voting machine used in all Brazilian elections and plebiscites. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Dáil Chamber Dáil Éireann is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Local Council (LC, formerly Resistance Council -RC) is a form of local elected government within the districts of Uganda. ...

In a cabinet reshuffle in 2004 Cullen was appointed Minister for Transport. Since that appointment he has become embroiled in even more controversy. Two independent reports have cleared him of any wrong-doing in the awarding of lucrative Public Relations contracts to Monica Leech, who subsequently became President of Waterford Chambers of Commerce. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Minister for Transport is the chief person at the Department of Transport in the Irish Government. ...

Political Career

Fine Gael (IPA , though often mispronounced (approximate English translation: Family of the Irish) is the second largest political party in Ireland. ... A Teachta Dála (Irish for Dáil Deputy, pronounced chock-ta dawla) is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Irish Oireachtas or National Parliament. ... The Waterford parliamentary constituency spans the entire area of the county in Munster, taking in Waterford City, Dungarvan and Tramore. ... Brian OShea (b. ... The Labour Party (Irish: Páirtí an Lucht Oibre) is a social democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. ... John (Jackie) Fahey (born January, 1928) is a former Irish politician. ... Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (IPA ; English translation: Soldiers of Ireland, but traditionally translated as Soldiers of Destiny) is the largest political party in Ireland. ... A Teachta Dála (Irish for Dáil Deputy, pronounced chock-ta dawla) is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Irish Oireachtas or National Parliament. ... The Waterford parliamentary constituency spans the entire area of the county in Munster, taking in Waterford City, Dungarvan and Tramore. ... Hugh P. Coveney (July, 1935–March, 1998) was a senior Irish Fine Gael politician, and a noted yachtsman. ... The Minister of State at the Department of Finance is a junior ministerial post in the Irish Department of Finance. ... Tom Parlon (born 19 August 1953) is an Irish Progressive Democrats politician. ... Noel Dempsey (born January 1953), is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician. ... The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is responsible for: election matters such as the general election and presidential elections, including electronic voting; the environment, Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland; heritage; local authorities and related services. ... Dick Roche (born March 1947) is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician and is currently the Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government. ... Séamus Brennan (born February 16, 1948) is a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician. ... The Minister for Transport is the chief person at the Department of Transport in the Irish Government. ...

External links

• Developers pay €22m to avoid pledge on houses
• Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2002