MINISTER'S RESIGNATION:THE TAOISEACH has paid tribute to Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Batt O'Keeffe, who tendered his resignation yesterday, as a politician of great wisdom and loyalty.
Mr Cowen said Mr O’Keeffe was one of his best friends in politics and in life, and a hard-working public representative for more than 25 years.
In his previous portfolio of education, Mr O’Keeffe had embarked on radical programmes of school curriculum reform and placed the debate on resourcing third-level colleges centre stage, Mr Cowen told the Dáil yesterday.
Mr O’Keeffe (65) was a surprise choice as minister for education in Mr Cowen’s first cabinet in 2008. He adopted a combative approach to the teacher unions, made cuts in pupil-teacher ratios and reopened the debate about third-level fees. However, he failed to persuade cabinet colleagues to reintroduce fees and the proposal did not appear in the Fianna Fáil-Green programme for government.
He served until March 2010, when he swapped jobs with Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Mary Coughlan. In the short time he spent in this job he concentrated on job-creation programmes and cutting back on spending.
A former lecturer at Cork Institute of Technology, he served as a TD from 1987 to 1989 and from 1992. He spent three years in the Seanad between 1989 and 1992. He was elected to Cork County Council in 1985.
Married to Mary Murphy, with four children, Mr O’Keeffe was born in Cullen, Co Cork, and attended UCC, where he graduated with a BA and higher diploma in education. He has three All-Ireland senior medals for Cork.
