James Reilly (born 16 August 1955) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician, businessman and medical doctor[1] who served as a Senator from May 2016 to March 2020.

[10] The number of patients waiting on trolleys dipped for a time following his appointment as Minister for Health, but grew again before he left office.

[19] Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin tabled a motion of no confidence in Reilly on 3 September 2012 after more cuts in the health service.

[23] On 26 September 2012, Shortall resigned as Minister of State for Primary Care and her party whip, citing lack of support and the lack of an explanation from Reilly as to what criteria were used to select an extra 15 sites for primary care centres, including the placement of two such centres in Reilly's own constituency.

[27] While under questions from the Oireachtas, Minister Reilly downplayed the recruitment problems and stated "there is not the great crisis chaos that the Irish Hospital Consultants Association would like to paint".

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva asked Reilly to explain the continuation of preferential access to state-funded schools on the basis of religion.

He said that the laws probably needed to change, but noted it may take a referendum because the Irish constitution gives protections to religious institutions.

A petition initiated by a Dublin attorney, Paddy Monahan, received almost 20,000 signatures in favor of overturning the preference given to Catholic children.

[4] He retained his position as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs until talks on government formation had concluded and his successor, Katherine Zappone, was appointed.

At a meeting of Fine Gael ministers in November 2015, James Reilly reportedly 'faced down' then-Taoiseach Enda Kenny, demanding a referendum on Ireland's abortion laws.

Kenny's Fine Gael-led minority government took office after the 2016 election with a programme which promised a randomly selected Citizens' Assembly to report on possible changes to the Eighth Amendment, which would be considered by an Oireachtas committee, to whose report the government would respond officially in debates in both houses of the Oireachtas.

[38] He received cabinet approval to aim to make Ireland a tobacco free country – defined as a smoking rate below 5% - by 2025.

[44][45][46] In an unusual move in Irish politics, Reilly accepted a Bill proposed by independent Senators which aims to ban smoking in cars where children are present.