Damien English (38), served in the last government as Minister of State at the Department of Education and the Department of Jobs, with special responsibility for research and innovation. Trained as a management accountant, he first stood for election in 1999 and was elected to Meath County Council for the Navan 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. He has variously been deputy spokesman on 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 – Harvey, Karla, Andrea and Darcie.