Billy Timmins

Who is Billy Timmins?

Billy Timmins is an Irish politician. He is a Teachta Dála for the Wicklow constituency. He sits as an independent TD, having lost the Fine Gael parliamentary party whip in July 2013.

Timmins was born in Baltinglass, County Wicklow. He was educated at Patrician College, Ballyfin, County Laois; and University College Galway where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Legal Science, and at the Military College, Curragh. Timmins served as an army officer, serving in Galway, Donegal and Kilkenny and with the United Nations in Lebanon and Cyprus.

He was elected to Wicklow County Council for the Baltinglass area in 1999 and served until 2004. Timmins was first elected to Dáil Éireann for the Wicklow constituency at the 1997 general election to succeed his father Godfrey Timmins who was retiring, and has held his seat ever since. Having just arrived in the Dáil he became party spokesperson on Defence, Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Relief. In 2000 he became party spokesperson on Housing.

Following the 2002 general election he was appointed spokesperson on Agriculture and Food. In Enda Kenny's Front Bench reshuffle in 2004 he received the Defence spokesperson portfolio. He was party spokesperson on Foreign Affairs from 2007–2010. In June 2010, he supported Richard Bruton's leadership challenge to Enda Kenny. Following Kenny's victory in a motion of confidence, Timmins was not re-appointed to the front bench. From October 2010 to March 2011, he was party Deputy spokesperson on Social Protection with special responsibility for Pension and Welfare Reform.