John Cummins (born 29 June 1987) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage since January 2025 and a TD for the Waterford constituency since the 2024 general election. He previously served as a Senator on the Labour Panel from 2020 to 2024.
He is married to Inga and they live in Waterford. Cummins has a degree in Physical Education and Geography Teaching from the University of Limerick. He has taught in a number of schools, including in St. Paul's Community College in Waterford city. He has been an active member of many sporting clubs, including De La Salle GAA Club, Hibernian FC and Faithlegg Golf club. He was also a member of the De La Salle Scout Group in Waterford and was a member of the team which won the national Scouting competition for the first time in that group's history in 2000. He also served as National Youth Representative in Scouting Ireland. His father is former Fine Gael senator Maurice Cummins.
Cummins was elected to Waterford City Council in 2009. In 2010, he was elected as Chairman of the South East Regional Authority. He served his first term as Mayor of Waterford in 2013; at the age of 25, he was the youngest person ever to hold that office. He was subsequently re-elected to the amalgamated Waterford City and County Council in 2014, and served his second term as mayor from 2015 to 2016. He was re-elected to the council in 2019.
Cummins unsuccessfully contested the 2020 general election for the Waterford constituency. He was subsequently elected at the 2020 Seanad election as a senator for the Labour Panel.
He was appointed as the Fine Gael spokesperson on Housing, Local Government and Heritage by Leo Varadkar.
He lost the party whip in August 2020 following his involvement in the Oireachtas Golf Society scandal, which saw him allegedly breach public health guidelines with regard to COVID-19. The party whip was restored on 12 January 2021. All charges related to the event were later dismissed on 3 February 2022.
At the 2024 general election, Cummins was elected to the Dáil. He was a member of the Fine Gael programme for government negotiating team. On 29 January 2025, he was appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with special responsibility for local government and planning.