When the "votegate" scandal erupted in the Dáil, Niall Collins (46) lost his portfolio as the party's spokesman on jobs, enterprise and innovation.
It emerged that he voted six times for party colleague Timmy Dooley, who was absent from the chamber at the time.
The Patrickswell, Co Limerick TD comes from a Fianna Fáil political dynasty. His grandfather James Collins represented Limerick in the Dáil from 1948 to 1967, while his uncle Gerry Collins served as minister for foreign affairs and as an MEP and another uncle, Michael Collins, was also a TD.
Previously a county councillor, he was first elected to the Dáil in 2007 and is married with two children.
He served as justice spokesman from 2011 to 2016 and reluctantly swopped to the business area. Keen on sports, he is active in GAA and plays rugby.
He is a Fianna Fáil honorary treasurer, and his constituency regularly raises the most funds for the party’s superdraw.
