Minister of State (Ireland)

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There are two different posts of Minister of State in the Republic of Ireland :

  • The "normal" Minister of State
  • The Taoiseach Minister of State .

Both items are fundamentally different from each other.

Minister of State

A Minister of State ( Irish : Aire Stáit - Minister of State ) in the Republic of Ireland is a kind of "junior" minister who is not considered part of the government . State ministers are assigned to one or more ministries. Unlike other cabinet members, who are appointed by the president on the proposal of the Taoiseach, ministers of state are appointed by the cabinet and proposed by the Taoiseach.

The post of Minister of State was introduced in 1977 by the Act of the Oireachtas and first implemented in 1978. The Minister of State replaced the post of Parliamentary State Secretary, a subordinate ministerial post that existed from 1924 to 1978. The original 1977 law established a limit of ten ministers of state, but this was increased to 15 in 1980 and 17 in 1995.

Minister of State of the Taoiseach

The Taoiseach Minister of State ( Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach ) is in principle the parliamentary group leader and the highest-ranking Minister of State in Ireland. The role of the parliamentary group leader is mainly the responsibility for all governing parties, e.g. B. ensuring that all MPs - including ministers - carry out their duties and support the government in all matters.

In detail, the main tasks are as follows:

  • Participation in government meetings
  • Prepare weekly reports for the Taoiseach
  • Supervision of the planning of House of Commons affairs
  • Calling of voting rounds with the opposition
  • Chair of the Legislative Committee

Minister of State in the 31st Government of Ireland

Since the government reshuffle in 2017, the following ministers of state have been in the government of Leo Varadkar :

  • Seán Kyne - Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach with special responsibility for Gaeilge, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Government Chief Whip
  • Mary Mitchell O'Connor - Minister of State with special responsibility for Higher Education
  • Paul Kehoe - Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Defense
  • Finian McGrath - Minister of State with special responsibility for Disability Issues
  • Ciarán Cannon - Minister of State with special responsibility for the Diaspora and International Development
  • Damien English - Minister of State with special responsibility for Housing and Urban Development
  • David Stanton - Minister of State with special responsibility for Equality, Immigration and Integration
  • Pat Breen - Minister of State with special responsibility for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection
  • Catherine Byrne - Minister of State with special responsibility for Health Promotion and the National Drugs Strategy
  • Andrew Doyle - Minister of State with special responsibility for Food, Forestry and Horticulture
  • John Halligan - Minister of State with special responsibility for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development
  • Patrick O'Donovan - Minister of State with special responsibility for Public Procurement, Open Government and eGovernment
  • Helen McEntee - Minister of State for European Affairs
  • Kevin 'Boxer' Moran , Minister of State with special responsibility for the Office of Public Works and Flood Relief
  • John Paul Phelan - Minister of State with special responsibility for Local Government and Electoral Reform
  • Jim Daly - Minister of State with special responsibility for Mental Health and Older People
  • Brendan Griffin - Minister of State with special responsibility for Tourism and Sport
  • Michael D'Arcy - Minister of State with special responsibility for Financial Services and Insurance
  • Seán Canney - Minister of State for Community Development, Natural Resources and Digital Development