Elected for the first time to the Dáil in 2007, Sean Sherlock (43) was in 2011 appointed a minister of state with responsibility for research and innovation, linked to the Department of Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation and to the Department of Education and Skills. When Joan Burton took over from Eamon Gilmore as party leader and Tánaiste he transferred as minister of state to the Department of Foreign Affairs with responsibility for overseas development, trade promotion and North-South co-operation. In that role he was involved in the 10 weeks of negotiations leading late last year to the "Fresh Start "agreement in the North. Recently married, his is a son of the late former TD Joe Sherlock and lives in Mallow. He previously served on Mallow Town Council and Cork County Council. When a number of Labour TDs recently warned that the party should only go into coalition again with a "critical mass" of TDs, he said "you must be in government to enact your policies".