Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Ireland)
Encyclopedia
The Minister for Social Protection is the senior minister
at the Department of Social Protection in the Government of Ireland.
The current Minister for Social Protection is Joan Burton
, TD
.
!No.
!Name
!Entered Office
!Left Office
!colspan="2"|Party
|-
|1.
|*James Ryan (1st time)
|22 January 1947
|18 February 1948
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|2.
|William Norton
|18 February 1948
|14 June 1951
! style="background-color: " |
|Labour Party
|-
|
|*James Ryan (2nd time)
|14 June 1951
|2 June 1954
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|3.
|Brendan Corish (1st time)
|2 June 1954
|20 March 1957
! style="background-color: " |
|Labour Party
|-
|4.
|Paddy Smith
|20 March 1957
|27 November 1957
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|5.
|*Seán MacEntee
|27 November 1957
|12 October 1961
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|6.
|Kevin Boland
(1st time)
|12 October 1961
|16 November 1966
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|7.
|Joseph Brennan (1st time)
|16 November 1966
|2 July 1969
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|
|Kevin Boland
(2nd time)
|2 July 1969
|6 May 1970
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|
|Joseph Brennan (2nd time)
|6 May 1970
|14 March 1973
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|
|*Brendan Corish (2nd time)
|14 March 1973
|5 July 1977
! style="background-color: " |
|Labour Party
|-
|8.
|*Charles Haughey
|5 July 1977
|12 December 1979
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|9.
|*Michael Woods (1st time)
|12 December 1979
|30 June 1981
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|10.
|*Eileen Desmond
|30 June 1981
|9 March 1982
! style="background-color: " |
|Labour Party
|-
|
|*Michael Woods (2nd time)
|9 March 1982
|14 December 1982
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|11.
|*Barry Desmond
|14 December 1982
|14 February 1986
! style="background-color: " |
|Labour Party
|-
|12.
|Gemma Hussey
|14 February 1986
|10 March 1987
! style="background-color: " |
|Fine Gael
|-
|
|Michael Woods (3rd time)
|10 March 1987
|13 November 1991
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|13.
|Brendan Daly
|13 November 1991
|11 February 1992
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|14.
|Charlie McCreevy
|11 February 1992
|12 January 1993
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|
|*Michael Woods (4th time)
|12 January 1993
|15 December 1994
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|15.
|Proinsias De Rossa
|15 December 1994
|26 June 1997
! style="background-color: " |
|Democratic Left
|-
|16.
|Dermot Ahern
|26 June 1997
|12 July 1997
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|colspan="6"|
!No.
!Name
!Entered Office
!Left Office
!colspan="2"|Party
|-
|
|Dermot Ahern
|12 July 1997
|17 June 2002
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|colspan="6"|
!No.
!Name
!Entered Office
!Left Office
!colspan="2"|Party
|-
|17.
|Mary Coughlan
|17 June 2002
|29 September 2004
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|18.
|Séamus Brennan
|29 September 2004
|14 June 2007
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|19.
|Martin Cullen
|14 June 2007
|7 May 2008
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|20.
|Mary Hanafin
|7 May 2008
|23 March 2010
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|colspan="6"|
!No.
!Name
!Entered Office
!Left Office
!colspan="2"|Party
|-
|21.
|Éamon Ó Cuív
|23 March 2010
|9 March 2011
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
|-
|22.
|Joan Burton
|9 March 2011
|Incumbent
! style="background-color: " |
|Labour Party
|}
An asterisk (*) indicates those ministers who held the Health and Social Welfare portfolios simultaneously.
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
at the Department of Social Protection in the Government of Ireland.
The current Minister for Social Protection is Joan Burton
Joan Burton
Joan Burton is an Irish Labour Party politician and the current Minister for Social Protection. She is a Teachta Dála for the Dublin West constituency....
, TD
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
.
Overview
The Department was formed in 1947 as the Department of Social Welfare. Its present title dates from 23 March 2010. The Department formulates appropriate social protection policies and administers and manages the delivery of statutory and non-statutory schemes and services. It is also responsible for the delivery of a range of social insurance and social assistance schemes including provision for unemployment, illness, maternity, caring, widowhood, retirement and old age.Minister for Social Welfare 1947–1997
|-!No.
!Name
!Entered Office
!Left Office
!colspan="2"|Party
|-
|1.
|*James Ryan (1st time)
|22 January 1947
|18 February 1948
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|2.
|William Norton
William Norton
William Norton was an Irish Labour Party politician, and leader of the party from 1932 to 1960.Norton was born in Dublin in 1900. He joined the postal service in 1916. By 1920 he was a prominent member in the trade union movement in Ireland. From 1924 to 1948 he served as secretary of the Post...
|18 February 1948
|14 June 1951
! style="background-color: " |
|Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
|-
|
|*James Ryan (2nd time)
|14 June 1951
|2 June 1954
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|3.
|Brendan Corish (1st time)
|2 June 1954
|20 March 1957
! style="background-color: " |
|Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
|-
|4.
|Paddy Smith
|20 March 1957
|27 November 1957
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|5.
|*Seán MacEntee
Seán MacEntee
Seán MacEntee was an Irish politician. In a career that spanned over forty years as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála, MacEntee was one of the most important figures in post-independence Ireland. He served in the governments of Éamon de Valera and Seán Lemass in a range of ministerial positions,...
|27 November 1957
|12 October 1961
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|6.
|Kevin Boland
Kevin Boland
Kevin Boland , was a senior Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1957 as a Fianna Fáil TD. He served as Minister for Defence , Minister for Social Welfare and Minister for Local Government...
(1st time)
|12 October 1961
|16 November 1966
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|7.
|Joseph Brennan (1st time)
|16 November 1966
|2 July 1969
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|
|Kevin Boland
Kevin Boland
Kevin Boland , was a senior Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in 1957 as a Fianna Fáil TD. He served as Minister for Defence , Minister for Social Welfare and Minister for Local Government...
(2nd time)
|2 July 1969
|6 May 1970
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|
|Joseph Brennan (2nd time)
|6 May 1970
|14 March 1973
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|
|*Brendan Corish (2nd time)
|14 March 1973
|5 July 1977
! style="background-color: " |
|Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
|-
|8.
|*Charles Haughey
Charles Haughey
Charles James "Charlie" Haughey was Taoiseach of Ireland, serving three terms in office . He was also the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil...
|5 July 1977
|12 December 1979
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|9.
|*Michael Woods (1st time)
|12 December 1979
|30 June 1981
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|10.
|*Eileen Desmond
Eileen Desmond
Eileen Desmond, née Harrington was a senior Irish Labour Party politician. She served in the Dáil and the Seanad and the European Parliament, and was Minister for Health & Social Welfare from 1981 to 1982....
|30 June 1981
|9 March 1982
! style="background-color: " |
|Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
|-
|
|*Michael Woods (2nd time)
|9 March 1982
|14 December 1982
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|11.
|*Barry Desmond
Barry Desmond
Barry Desmond is a former Irish Labour Party politician and government minister.He was educated at the Presentation Brothers, the School of Commerce and University College Cork, and became a trade union official with the ITGWU and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions...
|14 December 1982
|14 February 1986
! style="background-color: " |
|Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
|-
|12.
|Gemma Hussey
Gemma Hussey
Gemma Hussey is a former Irish Fine Gael politician.Gemma Moran was born in Dublin in 1938 and educated at Loreto College, Foxrock and University College Dublin. Hussey had a successful career running a language school in the late 1960s and 70s...
|14 February 1986
|10 March 1987
! style="background-color: " |
|Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
|-
|
|Michael Woods (3rd time)
|10 March 1987
|13 November 1991
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|13.
|Brendan Daly
Brendan Daly
Brendan Daly , is a former Fianna Fáil Party politician in Ireland. He was a long-serving Teachta Dála for Clare, a government minister, and Senator....
|13 November 1991
|11 February 1992
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|14.
|Charlie McCreevy
Charlie McCreevy
Charles "Charlie" McCreevy is a former Irish politician. He was the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services from 2004–2010. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD in 1977 and held the seat in Kildare until 2004 when he became Ireland's European Commissioner...
|11 February 1992
|12 January 1993
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|
|*Michael Woods (4th time)
|12 January 1993
|15 December 1994
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|15.
|Proinsias De Rossa
Proinsias De Rossa
Proinsias De Rossa is an Irish Labour Party politician and Member of the European Parliament for the Dublin constituency. He a former President of the Workers' Party and subsequently leader of Democratic Left, and later, a senior member of the Labour Party. He was Minister for Social Welfare from...
|15 December 1994
|26 June 1997
! style="background-color: " |
|Democratic Left
Democratic Left (Ireland)
Democratic Left was a democratic socialist political party active in Ireland between 1992 and 1999. It came into being after a split in the Workers' Party and, after just seven years in existence, it merged into the Irish Labour Party.-Origins:...
|-
|16.
|Dermot Ahern
Dermot Ahern
Dermot Christopher Ahern is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Louth constituency from 1987 to 2011...
|26 June 1997
|12 July 1997
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|colspan="6"|
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs 1997–2002
|-!No.
!Name
!Entered Office
!Left Office
!colspan="2"|Party
|-
|
|Dermot Ahern
Dermot Ahern
Dermot Christopher Ahern is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Louth constituency from 1987 to 2011...
|12 July 1997
|17 June 2002
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|colspan="6"|
Minister for Social and Family Affairs 2002–2010
|-!No.
!Name
!Entered Office
!Left Office
!colspan="2"|Party
|-
|17.
|Mary Coughlan
|17 June 2002
|29 September 2004
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|18.
|Séamus Brennan
Séamus Brennan
Séamus Brennan was a senior Irish Fianna Fáil politician and a Teachta Dála for Dublin South. He served as a Minister of State, Minister for Tourism and Transport , Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications , Minister for Education , Minister for Transport , Minister for Social and...
|29 September 2004
|14 June 2007
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|19.
|Martin Cullen
Martin Cullen
Martin Cullen is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Waterford constituency. Cullen was a member of Seanad Éireann and served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government , Minister for Transport and Minister for Social and Family Affairs and...
|14 June 2007
|7 May 2008
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|20.
|Mary Hanafin
Mary Hanafin
Mary Hanafin is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who was a Teachta Dála for Dún Laoghaire from 1997 to 2011. She served as Government Chief Whip , Minister for Education and Science , Minister for Social and Family Affairs , Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport and Minister for Enterprise,...
|7 May 2008
|23 March 2010
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|colspan="6"|
Minister for Social Protection 2010–present
|-!No.
!Name
!Entered Office
!Left Office
!colspan="2"|Party
|-
|21.
|Éamon Ó Cuív
Éamon Ó Cuív
Éamon Ó Cuív is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Galway West constituency since 1992 and was previously a member of Seanad Éireann.-Early life:...
|23 March 2010
|9 March 2011
! style="background-color: " |
|Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
|-
|22.
|Joan Burton
Joan Burton
Joan Burton is an Irish Labour Party politician and the current Minister for Social Protection. She is a Teachta Dála for the Dublin West constituency....
|9 March 2011
|Incumbent
! style="background-color: " |
|Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
|}
An asterisk (*) indicates those ministers who held the Health and Social Welfare portfolios simultaneously.