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56-541: The Tánaiste ( / ˈ t ɔː n ɪ ʃ t ə / TAW -nish-tə , Irish: [ˈt̪ˠaːn̪ˠəʃtʲə] ) is the second-ranking member of the government of Ireland and the holder of its second-most senior office. They are the equivalent of a deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems. The Tánaiste is appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach . The current office holder

112-544: A caretaker capacity . The Dáil met again on 3 July and on 6 July, but no vote was taken on the nomination of the Taoiseach. On 12 July, Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats had agreed to form a coalition government, the 21st government of Ireland (12 July 1989 – 11 February 1992). The same three leaders were proposed again for the nomination of the Dáil for appointment by the president to be Taoiseach. On this occasion,

168-538: A minister without portfolio , but every Tánaiste has in parallel held a ministerial portfolio as head of a Department of State . The Department of the Taoiseach is a Department of State, but there is no equivalent for the Tánaiste. Dick Spring in the Rainbow Coalition (1994–1997) had an official "Office of the Tánaiste", but other parties have not used that nomenclature. Under Spring, Eithne Fitzgerald

224-493: A department of state will cease to exist, its functions being transferred to another department. Such defunct ministerial positions include the Ministers for Labour , Posts and Telegraphs , Public Service and Supplies . Non-members have no voting rights at Cabinet but may otherwise participate fully, and normally receive circulated Cabinet papers on the same basis as a full member of Government. Votes are rare, however, with

280-574: A member of the Council of State . The Tánaiste chairs meetings of the government in the absence of the Taoiseach and may take questions on their behalf in the Dáil or Seanad . Aside from those duties, the title is largely honorific as the Constitution does not confer any additional powers on the office holder over and above the other members of the Government. In theory, the Tánaiste could be

336-738: A member of the Free State Seanad , had served in the Executive Council of the Irish Free State from 1932 to 1933 as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs , and from 1933 to 1936 as Minister for Lands and Fisheries . A member of the government in charge of a Department of State is designated a minister of the Government (before 1977 this position was termed Minister of State ). For distinction, Ministers of State (known before 1977 as Parliamentary Secretaries ) – informally called junior ministers – are not Ministers of

392-544: A number of occasions, and these may be cited together as the Ministers and Secretaries Acts 1924 to 2017 and are construed together as one Act. All governments from 1989 to 2016 were coalitions of two or more parties. The first coalition government was formed in 1948. The Taoiseach has almost always been the leader of the largest party in the coalition, with the exceptions of John A. Costello , Taoiseach from 1948 to 1951 and from 1954 to 1957 (a member of Fine Gael but not

448-535: A phrase in correspondence by government departments, "the Minister has directed me to write", on letters or documents that the minister in question may never have seen. If the Government, or any member of the government, should fail to fulfil its constitutional duties, it may be ordered to do so by a court of law, by a writ of mandamus . Ministers who fail to comply may, ultimately, be found to be in contempt of court , and even imprisoned. Prior to independence,

504-552: Is as yet the highest government rank attained by a woman Minister. Four Tánaistí later held the office of Taoiseach: Seán Lemass , Bertie Ahern , Brian Cowen , and Leo Varadkar (his second term as Taoiseach). Varadkar is also one of two Tánaistí, with Micheál Martin , to have previously held the office of Taoiseach before becoming Tánaiste. Two Tánaistí were later elected as President of Ireland : Seán T. O'Kelly and Erskine H. Childers . Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland ( Irish : Rialtas na hÉireann )

560-408: Is expected to maintain political impartiality in its work, and some parts of it are entirely independent of Government decision making. Simon Harris was nominated as Taoiseach by Dáil Éireann on 9 April 2024 and appointed by the president . Harris proposed the nomination of the members of government, and after their approval by the Dáil, they were appointed by the president. Government of

616-463: Is former Taoiseach Micheál Martin , TD , who was appointed on 17 December 2022. Under the Gaelic system of tanistry , the word tánaiste (plural tánaistí , pronounced [ˈt̪ˠaːn̪ˠəʃtʲiː] , approximately / ˈ t ɔː n ɪ ʃ t iː / ) had been used for the heir of the chief ( taoiseach ) or king ( rí ). The word was adopted in the 1937 Constitution of Ireland as

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672-412: Is informally known as a "super junior minister". Currently Jack Chambers , Hildegarde Naughton and Pippa Hackett are Ministers of State who attend cabinet. Trinity College Dublin law professor Oran Doyle has argued that this practice breaches cabinet confidentiality as required by the Constitution . A new government is formed by the Taoiseach appointed after each general election after receiving

728-403: Is responsible for the actions of his or her department. Departments of State do not have legal personalities. Actions of departments are carried out under the title of ministers even, as is commonly the case when the minister has little knowledge of the details of these actions. This contradicts the rule in common law that a person given a statutory power cannot delegate that power. This leads to

784-588: Is sometimes used in English instead of "the Tánaiste". The office was created in 1937 under the new Constitution of Ireland and replaced the previous office of Vice-President of the Executive Council , which had existed under the Constitution of the Irish Free State , and which was first held by Kevin O'Higgins of Cumann na nGaedheal from 1922 to 1927. The Taoiseach nominates one member of

840-668: Is the executive authority of the Republic of Ireland , headed by the Taoiseach , the head of government . The government – also known as the cabinet – is composed of ministers , each of whom must be a member of the Oireachtas , which consists of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann . Most ministers have a portfolio of specific responsibilities such as departments or policy areas, although ministers without portfolio can be appointed. The Taoiseach must be nominated by

896-612: Is the health sector with over 105,000 employees (largely in the Health Service Executive ), followed by the education sector with approximately 98,450. The civil service of Ireland consists of two broad components, the Civil Service of the Government and the Civil Service of the State . While this partition is largely theoretical, the two parts do have some fundamental operational differences. The civil service

952-538: The Green Party . It was formed after protracted government negotiations following a general election on 8 February 2020. Membership of the cabinet is regulated by Article 28 of the Constitution of Ireland and by the Ministers and Secretaries Acts 1924 to 2017 . The Constitution requires the government to consist of between seven and fifteen members, all of whom must be a member of the Oireachtas . Since

1008-655: The Irish Free State on 6 December 1922, both executives were succeeded by the Executive Council of the Irish Free State . On 29 December 1937, on the coming into force of the Constitution of Ireland, the Eighth Executive Council of the Irish Free State became the First Government of Ireland . The detail and structure of the Government of Ireland has its legislative basis in the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924; it has been amended on

1064-417: The nomination of the Dáil . All members of the government are deemed to have resigned on the resignation of the Taoiseach. Therefore, a new government is appointed where there is a new Taoiseach within a single Dáil term. The Constitution allows a Dáil term of no more than seven years, but a shorter period may be specified by law; this has been set as a maximum of five years. The Taoiseach may at any time advise

1120-507: The 26th D%C3%A1il The 26th Dáil first met on 26 June 1989. In the debate on the nomination of Taoiseach , Fianna Fáil leader and outgoing Taoiseach Charles Haughey , Fine Gael leader Alan Dukes , and Labour Party leader Dick Spring were each proposed. Each of these proposals were lost: Haughey received 78 votes with 86 votes against, Dukes received 61 votes with 103 votes against, and Spring received 24 votes with 138 votes against. Haughey resigned as Taoiseach, continuing to serve in

1176-498: The Constitution to prevent a risk of suicide as a ground for an abortion. This proposal was rejected in a referendum. The Thirteenth Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment were approved, providing respectively that the right to life of the unborn did not limit freedom to travel or to obtain information about services available outside the jurisdiction of the state. These three referendums were held on 25 November 1992,

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1232-711: The Department of the Taoiseach with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip , and Mary Harney as Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, with special responsibility for the office for the Protection of the Environment. On 13 February 1992, the government on the nomination of the Taoiseach appointed the other Ministers of State . Mary Harney resigned when the Progressive Democrats left government. The Eleventh Amendment

1288-589: The Dáil , the house of representatives. Following the nomination of the Dáil , the President of Ireland appoints the Taoiseach to their role. The President also appoints members of the government, including the Tánaiste , the deputy head of government, on the nomination of the Taoiseach and their approval by the Dáil . The government is dependent on the Oireachtas to pass primary legislation and as such,

1344-495: The Government in the office at the date of a dissolution of Dáil Éireann shall continue to hold office until their successors shall have been appointed". Where the resignation of the Taoiseach and government is not immediately followed by the appointment by the president of a new Taoiseach on the nomination of the Dáil, the outgoing government continues as a caretaker government to "carry out their duties until their successors have been appointed". This has happened when no candidate

1400-485: The Government to the office who is required to be a member of Dáil Éireann . The nominee then receives their seal of office from the President of Ireland in recognition of the appointment. The Tánaiste acts in the place of the Taoiseach during a temporary absence. In the event of the Taoiseach's death or permanent incapacitation, the Tánaiste acts as Taoiseach until another is appointed. The Tánaiste is, ex officio ,

1456-674: The Government, but assist those Ministers in their Departments. A minister without portfolio may be appointed to the Government who is not the head of a Department of State; this occurred during the period known in Ireland as the Emergency when Frank Aiken served as Minister for the Co-ordination of Defensive Measures from 1939 until 1945. The functions of government ministers are frequently transferred between departments during cabinet reshuffles or after elections. On occasion,

1512-402: The President to dissolve the Dáil, prompting a new general election. The President retains absolute discretion to refuse to grant a dissolution to a Taoiseach who has lost the confidence of the Dáil. To date, no President has refused the request of a Taoiseach to dissolve the Dáil. The Taoiseach must retain the confidence of Dáil Éireann to remain in office. If the Taoiseach ceases "to retain

1568-543: The Progressive Democrats left the government on 4 November 1992. On 5 November 1992, Reynolds proposed a motion of confidence in the Taoiseach and the government. Following the defeat of the motion of confidence, Reynolds sought a dissolution of the Dáil, which was granted by the Presidential Commission , and the 1992 general election was held on 25 November. The 27th Dáil first met on 14 December 1992. The Dáil did not successfully nominate anyone for

1624-500: The Progressive Democrats stated that they could no longer continue in government with Haughey as Taoiseach. On 30 January 1992, Haughey resigned as leader of Fianna Fáil. Following a leadership election , he was succeeded by Albert Reynolds who formed the 22nd government of Ireland . Charles Haughey resigned as leader of Fianna Fáil on 30 January, and Albert Reynolds won the party leadership election on 6 February. The 22nd government of Ireland (11 February 1992 – 12 January 1993)

1680-417: The Taoiseach in an acting capacity. Following the sacking of Albert Reynolds and Pádraig Flynn after Reynolds challenged Charles Haughey for the leadership of Fianna Fáil. Positions of sacked ministers filled. On 12 July 1989 John L. Murray SC was re-appointed by the president as Attorney General on the nomination of the Taoiseach. Murray resigned on 25 September 1991, and Harry Whelehan SC

1736-444: The Taoiseach resigns, the entire Government is deemed to have resigned as a collective. However, in such a scenario, according to the Constitution, "the Taoiseach and the other members of the Government shall continue to carry on their duties until their successors shall have been appointed". On the dissolution of Dáil Éireann, ministers are no longer members of the Oireachtas. However, the Constitution also provides that "the members of

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1792-522: The Taoiseach. Frank Fahey was also appointed Minister of State at the Department of Tourism and Transport . Following the appointment of Brendan Daly as Minister for Defence. Following the appointment of Vincent Brady as Minister for Defence and the sacking of Máire Geoghegan-Quinn , Noel Treacy and Michael Smith . From January to June 1990 Ireland held the presidency of the European Community . The 1990 Presidential election

1848-581: The cabinet must be members of Dáil Éireann , the house of representatives. The Taoiseach , Tánaiste and Minister for Finance must be members of the Dáil. In practice, however, the members of the cabinet are invariably members of the Dáil. Since the adoption of the 1937 constitution, only two ministers have been appointed from the Seanad: Seán Moylan who served in 1957 as Minister for Agriculture and James Dooge who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1981 to 1982. Joseph Connolly ,

1904-639: The cabinet usually following the Taoiseach or working by consensus. The Government is advised by the Attorney General , who is not formally a member of the Government, but who participates in cabinet meetings as part of their role as legal advisor to the Government. The Chief Whip may attend meetings of the cabinet, but is not a member of the Government. In addition, the Government can select other Ministers of State who may attend cabinet meetings. Up to three Ministers of State who regularly attend cabinet meetings may receive an allowance. This person

1960-671: The date of the general election following the dissolution of the 26th Dáil. A tribunal of inquiry into irregularities in the beef industry, referred to as the Beef Tribunal , was established to examine the relationship between successive Irish governments and the beef industry. Evidence at the tribunal revealed a substantial conflict of opinion between the two government party leaders. At the tribunal Desmond O'Malley severely criticised Reynolds, in his capacity as Minister for Industry and Commerce, for an export credit scheme. When Reynolds gave evidence he referred to O'Malley as "dishonest",

2016-725: The executive of the unilaterally declared Irish Republic was the Ministry of Dáil Éireann . This was in operation from 1919 to 1922. After the approval of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in January 1922, a Provisional Government of Ireland was established as the executive. The personnel of the Provisional Government overlapped with the Ministry of Dáil Éireann, but they were not identical. On the independence of

2072-410: The formation of the 12th Government of Ireland in 1966, all Irish cabinets have been formed with the constitutional maximum of fifteen ministers. The total sometimes falls below this number for brief periods following the resignation of individual ministers or the withdrawal of a party from a coalition. No more than two members of the cabinet may be members of Seanad Éireann . All other members of

2128-408: The government needs to command a majority in the Dáil in order to ensure support and confidence for budgets and government bills to pass. The current government entered office on 9 April 2024 with Simon Harris , leader of Fine Gael , as Taoiseach . The Tánaiste is Micheál Martin , leader of Fianna Fáil . It is a majority coalition government of Fianna Fáil , Fine Gael and

2184-421: The head of state is the nominal chief executive, though bound by convention to act on the advice of the cabinet. In Ireland, however, the Constitution explicitly vests executive authority in the Government, not the President. The executive authority of the Government is subject to certain limitations. In particular: Government ministers are collectively responsible for the actions of the government. Each minister

2240-528: The members of the government and they were approved by the Dáil. They were appointed by the president on the same day. Reynolds did not re-appoint Ray Burke , Mary O'Rourke and Gerry Collins , while promoting critics of Haughey like David Andrews , Séamus Brennan , and Charlie McCreevy into senior ministerial positions. Reynolds also promoted a number of younger TDs from rural constituencies like Noel Dempsey and Brian Cowen , to cabinet position. Bertie Ahern remained as Minister for Finance. Following

2296-452: The motion, were sacked from government. On 10 November, the motion was defeated. In the reshuffle that followed, Jim McDaid was proposed as Minister for Defence on 13 November 1991, but his name was withdrawn later that day. In early 1992 Seán Doherty , who as Minister for Justice had taken the blame for the phone-tapping scandal of the early 1980s, claimed on RTÉ that Haughey had known and authorised it. Haughey denied this but

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2352-481: The nomination of Haughey was carried by the Dáil with 84 votes in favour and 79 against. After his appointment as Taoiseach by the president, Haughey proposed the members of the government on 12 July and they were approved by the Dáil. They were appointed by the president on the same day. Following the sacking of Brian Lenihan during the 1990 Presidential election . Following the sacking of Brian Lenihan as Tánaiste on 31 October. Appointment to position held by

2408-477: The party leader) and Leo Varadkar , since 2022 (leader of Fine Gael, in a three-party coalition where Fianna Fáil is the largest party). The public service in Ireland refers to the totality of public administration in Ireland. As of Q3, 2016 the total number of employees in the Irish public service stands at 304,472 people. The Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform defines

2464-412: The position of Taoiseach on that day, with Albert Reynolds, John Bruton and Dick Spring being defeated. Reynolds resigned as Taoiseach but under the provisions of Article 28.11 of the Constitution, the members of the government continued to carry out their duties until their successors were appointed. The 23rd government of Ireland was formed on 12 January 1993 as a coalition between Fianna Fáil and

2520-486: The public service as comprising seven sectors: the Civil Service , Defence Sector , Education Sector , Health Sector , Justice Sector , Local Authorities and Non-Commercial State Agencies ; such as Bord Bia , IDA Ireland and the Commission for Energy Regulation . Commercial state-owned bodies such as RTÉ , ESB Group and An Post are not considered part of the public service in Ireland. The largest sector

2576-417: The resignation of Progressive Democrats ministers. Following the nomination of Pádraig Flynn for the position of European Commissioner . On 12 January 1993 Harry Whelehan SC was appointed by the president as Attorney General on the nomination of the Taoiseach. On 11 February 1992, the government on the nomination of the Taoiseach appointed Noel Dempsey , TD to the post of Minister of State at

2632-435: The support of a majority in Dáil Éireann", the Taoiseach must resign unless they seek a dissolution of the Dáil which is granted by the President. This applies only in cases of a motion of no confidence or loss of supply (rejection of a budget), rather than the defeat of the government in other legislation or Dáil votes. The Taoiseach can direct the President to dismiss or accept the resignation of individual ministers . When

2688-561: The title for a member of the government nominated by the Taoiseach to act in their place as needed during periods of the Taoiseach's temporary absence. Tánaiste is the official title of the deputy head of government in both English and Irish, and is not used for other countries' deputy prime ministers, who are referred to in Irish by the generic term leas-phríomh-aire , pronounced [ˈl̠ʲasˠ ˌfʲɾʲiːw ˈaɾʲə] , approximately / ˌ l æ s f r iː ˈ v ɛər ə / LASS -free- VAIR -ə . The longer Irish form, an Tánaiste ,

2744-453: Was " Minister of State at the Office of the Tánaiste", with responsibility for co-ordinating Labour policy in the coalition. Under a coalition government , the Tánaiste is typically the leader of the second-largest coalition partner, just as the Taoiseach is usually leader of the coalition's senior partner. However, during the coalition governments in 1989–1992 and 2007–2011 , the position

2800-410: Was appointed by the president as Attorney General on the nomination of the Taoiseach. On 12 July 1989, Vincent Brady was appointed by the government on the nomination of the Taoiseach to the post of Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip . On 19 July 1989, the government appointed the other Ministers of State on the nomination of

2856-668: Was approved in a referendum held on 18 June 1992, allowing the state to ratify the Maastricht Treaty . In March 1992, the Supreme Court held in the X Case that there was a right to access abortion in Ireland where there was a risk to the mother's life, including from a risk of suicide. The government responded with the Twelfth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 1992 , which would have amended

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2912-528: Was debated as a motion of confidence in the Taoiseach and the government, proposed by Taoiseach Charles Haughey . It was approved by a vote of 83 to 80. In October 1991, the Dáil debated a motion of confidence in the government. On 18 October, confidence in the government was approved by a vote of 84 to 81. On 6 November 1991, Seán Power proposed a motion of no confidence in Haughey as leader of Fianna Fáil. Albert Reynolds and Pádraig Flynn, who supported

2968-465: Was formed by the Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats parties with Albert Reynolds as Taoiseach. On 11 February, Albert Reynolds and John Bruton were proposed for the nomination of the Dáil for appointment by the president to be Taoiseach. The nomination of Reynolds was carried and he was appointed by the president. After his appointment as Taoiseach by the president, Albert Reynolds proposed

3024-439: Was held by Fianna Fáil's deputy leader, rather than the leader of a junior partner. As part of a rotating Taoiseach agreement since 2020 , the role of Tánaiste gained increased prominence and responsibility in coordinating and Government policy as it was held by Leo Varadkar for the first half of the Government's term in office prior to his appointment as Taoiseach and Micheál Martin in the second half. The office of Tánaiste

3080-520: Was held on 7 November. Mary Robinson won the election, defeating the Fianna Fáil candidate Brian Lenihan and the Fine Gael candidate Austin Currie . During the campaign, Lenihan was obliged to correct the record on whether he had contacted president Patrick Hillery in January 1982 to advise against the dissolution of the Dáil. Alan Dukes proposed a motion of no confidence in the government. This

3136-416: Was nominated for Taoiseach when the Dáil first assembled after a general election, or, on one occasion, where a Taoiseach had lost the confidence of the Dáil, but there was not a dissolution of the Dáil followed by a general election. Unlike the cabinets in other parliamentary systems, the Government is both the de jure and de facto executive authority in Ireland. In some other parliamentary regimes,

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