Outgoing deputy Alan Shatter will be hoping to avoid the ghosts of 2002 as he fights for re-election in the competitive Dublin South constituency. On that occasion, the Fine Gael deputy polled the fifth highest amount of first-preference votes but was eliminated when transfers allowed the Green Party's Eamon Ryan to overtake him. A qualified solicitor, Shatter was first elected in 1981 and is noted for his frequent contribution of Private Members Bills in the Dáil. He is currently Fine Gael's Front Bench Spokesperson on Justice & Law Reform and a member of the Joint Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee.