Taoiseach Leo Varadkar
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Leo Varadkar is the Taoiseach. He became Taoiseach for the second time on 17 December 2022.
He was born and raised in Dublin. He is a qualified medical doctor and a graduate of Trinity College Dublin.
First elected Taoiseach in June 2017, Mr Varadkar was a member of Fingal County Council (2003-2007) and elected to Dáil Éireann for the Dublin West constituency on his first attempt in 2007 and was re-elected to a fourth term in 2020.
As Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (2011-2014) he connected Dublin’s light rail system (the Luas), helped restore growth to the tourism industry and led the ‘Gathering Ireland 2013’.
As Minister for Health (2014-2016), he brought in free GP care for children under the age of 6 and adults over 70, launched Ireland’s first National Maternity Strategy and published the Public Health Alcohol Bill which is now law.
As Minister for Social Protection (2016-2017) he increased pensions, social welfare payments for carers, people with disabilities and lone parents. He introduced paid paternity benefit for the first time in Ireland and extended new social insurance benefits and protections to the self-employed and farmers.
He is parliamentary leader and President of the Fine Gael party (EPP affiliate) and led the party into a historic third term in government in coalition with Fianna Fáil and the Green Party.
