Government of the 33rd Dáil

The members of the 33rd Dáil first met on 20 February. Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan were each proposed for nomination as Taoiseach. None of the four motions were successful. Varadkar announced that he would resign as Taoiseach but that under the provisions of Article 28.11 of the Constitution, the members of the government would continue to carry out their duties until their successors were appointed.[4][5]

On 27 June, the Dáil again debated nominations for the position of Taoiseach. The nomination of Martin was approved by the Dáil.[6] Martin was then appointed as Taoiseach by President Michael D. Higgins.[7][8]

27 June 2020 Nomination of Micheál Martin (FF) as Taoiseach Motion proposed by Norma Foley and seconded by James O'Connor Absolute majority: 81/160[9]
Vote	Parties	Votes
Y Yes	Fianna Fáil (37), Fine Gael (35), Green Party (12), Independents (9)	93 / 160
No	Sinn Féin (37), Independents (7), Labour Party (6), Social Democrats (6), Solidarity–People Before Profit (5), Aontú (1), Right To Change (1)	63 / 160
Abstain	Independents (3)	3 / 160
Not voting	Ceann Comhairle (1)	1 / 160

After his appointment as Taoiseach by the president, Micheál Martin proposed the members of the government and they were approved by the Dáil.[8][10][11] They were appointed by the president on the same day.[12][13][14]

Paul Gallagher SC was appointed by the president as Attorney General on the nomination of the Taoiseach, a role he had previously served in from 2007 to 2011.[8][13]

On 27 June 2020, the government on the nomination of the Taoiseach appointed Dara Calleary, TD, Hildegarde Naughton, TD, and Sen. Pippa Hackett as Ministers of State, each of whom attend at cabinet without a vote.[8] Pippa Hackett is the first senator to have been appointed as a Minister of State. On 1 July, the government appointed a further seventeen Ministers of State on the nomination of the Taoiseach.[34][13][14]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Barry Cowen was sacked on 14 July 2020 because of driving offences which he had committed but not disclosed to Micheál Martin prior to his appointment to cabinet.[27] He was replaced by Dara Calleary.

Legislation was passed to allow each of three Ministers of State who attend cabinet meetings to receive an allowance, as previous legislation had provided an allowance for two only.[48] After public dissatisfaction with the proposal, the three ministers of state agreed on 28 July 2020 to share the existing allowance between them, rather than accept the increase.[49]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Dara Calleary resigned on 21 August 2020 after the fallout from the Oireachtas Golf Society scandal.[30] Phil Hogan resigned as European Commissioner for Trade on 26 August 2020 in response to the same events.[50]

In October 2020, Village magazine published a claim that Leo Varadkar had provided a copy of a confidential document to the head of the National Association of General Practitioners that had been part of negotiations with the Irish Medical Organisation in April 2019 while Taoiseach.[51] Fine Gael issued a statement which described the article as "both inaccurate and grossly defamatory", and while accepting that the provision of the agreement by private channels was "not best practice", said there was nothing unlawful about what had occurred.[52] Sinn Féin tabled a motion of no confidence in the Tánaiste. In response, the Taoiseach moved a motion of confidence, with was carried by a vote of 92 to 65.[53]