He was successful at the 1987 general election, winning a seat in the 25th Dáil as a Fine Gael Teachta Dála (TD) for Mayo East.

In 1994 the Rainbow Coalition of Fine Gael, Labour Party and Democratic Left came to power and Higgins was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Finance.

Like many of his Fine Gael colleagues at the 2002 general election, Higgins lost his seat in the Mayo constituency.

[2] For over two years he brought to the Dáil the case of the extended McBrearty family who were wrongly accused of murder.

He was also responsible for bringing before the Dáil a £30 million overspend by the state transport company Iarnród Éireann on a safety signalling system which led to the establishment of an all-party parliamentary inquiry.