Minister for Justice (Ireland)

The Minister for Justice (Irish: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt) is the senior minister at the Department of Justice in the Government of Ireland. The Minister has overall responsibility for law and order in Ireland.[1]

Minister for Justice
Incumbent
Helen McEntee
since 27 June 2020
Department of Justice
Member of
Reports toTaoiseach
SeatDublin, Ireland
AppointerPresident of Ireland on the nomination of the Taoiseach
Inaugural holderMichael Collins as Minister for Home Affairs
Formation22 January 1919
WebsiteDepartment of Justice

The current Minister for Justice is Helen McEntee, TD. She is assisted by James Browne, Minister of State with responsibility for Law Reform.[2][3]

History

From 1919 until 1924 the position was known as the Minister for Home Affairs.[4][5] In 1997, the functions of the Minister for Equality and Law Reform were transferred to this Minister, and it was renamed as the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, a title which it retained until 2010.[6] The minister held the title of Minister for Justice and Equality from 2011 to 2020.[7] As of 2020, the position is known as Minister for Justice.[8] This followed a transfer of functions to the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

Overview

The Minister's and the Department's main areas of responsibility include: [9]

  • Implementing government policy and proposing new policy on crime, immigration, asylum, criminal and civil law reform and the criminal justice system in general.
  • Implementation of government policy and proposing new policy in relation to national security (an area many countries assign to a separate 'Home' or 'Homeland Security' minister)
  • Control and reform of the Garda Síochána
  • Pardons (which are formally given by the President on the binding "advice" of the government, after proposal by the Minister for Justice - a rarely used power)
  • Implementation of core elements of the Good Friday Agreement.

List of office-holders
  Denotes acting Minister

Minister for Home Affairs 1919–1923

No. Name Term of office Party Government(s)[lower-alpha 1]
1 Michael Collins 22 January 1919 1 April 1919 Sinn Féin 1st DM
2 Arthur Griffith 2 April 1919 22 August 1921 Sinn Féin 2nd DM
3 Austin Stack[lower-alpha 2] 22 August 1921 9 January 1922 Sinn Féin 3rd DM
4 Eamonn Duggan 10 January 1922 9 September 1922 Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty) 4th DM · 1st PG
5 Kevin O'Higgins 30 August 1922 2 June 1924 Cumann na nGaedheal 2nd PG · 5th DM · 1st EC · 2nd EC

Minister for Justice 1924–1997

No. Name Term of office Party Government(s)
Kevin O'Higgins 2 June 1924 10 July 1927 Cumann na nGaedheal 2nd EC · 3rd EC
6 W. T. Cosgrave[lower-alpha 3] 10 July 1927 12 October 1927 Cumann na nGaedheal 3rd EC
7 James FitzGerald-Kenney 12 October 1927 9 March 1932 Cumann na nGaedheal 4th EC · 5th EC
8 James Geoghegan 9 March 1932 8 February 1933 Fianna Fáil 6th EC
9 P. J. Ruttledge 8 February 1933 8 September 1939 Fianna Fáil 7th EC · 8th EC · 1st · 2nd
10 Gerald Boland (1st time) 8 September 1939 18 February 1948 Fianna Fáil 2nd · 3rd · 4th
11 Seán Mac Eoin 18 February 1948 7 March 1951 Fine Gael 5th
12 Daniel Morrissey 7 March 1951 13 June 1951 Fine Gael 5th
Gerald Boland (2nd time) 13 June 1951 2 June 1954 Fianna Fáil 6th
13 James Everett 2 June 1954 20 March 1957 Labour 7th
14 Oscar Traynor 20 March 1957 11 October 1961 Fianna Fáil 8th · 9th
15 Charles Haughey 11 October 1961 8 October 1964 Fianna Fáil 10th
16 Seán Lemass (acting) 8 October 1964 3 November 1964 Fianna Fáil 10th
17 Brian Lenihan Snr 3 November 1964 26 March 1968 Fianna Fáil 10th · 11th · 12th
18 Mícheál Ó Móráin 27 March 1968 5 May 1970 Fianna Fáil 12th · 13th
19 Desmond O'Malley 5 May 1970 14 March 1973 Fianna Fáil 13th
20 Patrick Cooney 14 March 1973 5 July 1977 Fine Gael 14th
21 Gerry Collins (1st time) 5 July 1977 30 June 1981 Fianna Fáil 15th · 16th
22 Jim Mitchell 30 June 1981 9 March 1982 Fine Gael 17th
23 Seán Doherty 9 March 1982 14 December 1982 Fianna Fáil 18th
24 Michael Noonan 14 December 1982 14 February 1986 Fine Gael 19th
25 Alan Dukes 14 February 1986 10 March 1987 Fine Gael 19th
Gerry Collins (2nd time) 10 March 1987 12 July 1989 Fianna Fáil 20th
26 Ray Burke[lower-alpha 4] 12 July 1989 11 February 1992 Fianna Fáil 21st
27 Pádraig Flynn 11 February 1992 4 January 1993 Fianna Fáil 22nd
28 Máire Geoghegan-Quinn 4 January 1993 15 December 1994 Fianna Fáil 23rd
29 Nora Owen 15 December 1994 26 June 1997 Fine Gael 24th
30 John O'Donoghue 26 June 1997 8 July 1997 Fianna Fáil 25th

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform 1997–2010

No. Name Term of office Party Government(s)
John O'Donoghue 8 July 1997 6 June 2002 Fianna Fáil 25th
31 Michael McDowell 6 June 2002 14 June 2007 Progressive Democrats 26th
32 Brian Lenihan Jnr 14 June 2007 7 May 2008 Fianna Fáil 27th
33 Dermot Ahern 7 May 2008 23 March 2010 Fianna Fáil 28th

Minister for Justice and Law Reform 2010–2011

No. Name Term of office Party Government(s)
Dermot Ahern 23 March 2010 19 January 2011 Fianna Fáil 28th
34 Brendan Smith[lower-alpha 5] 20 January 2011 9 March 2011 Fianna Fáil 28th
35 Alan Shatter[lower-alpha 6] 9 March 2011 2 April 2011 Fine Gael 29th

Minister for Justice and Equality 2011–2020

No. Name Term of office Party Government(s)
Alan Shatter[lower-alpha 6] 2 April 2011 7 May 2014 Fine Gael 29th
36 Frances Fitzgerald 8 May 2014 14 June 2017 Fine Gael 29th · 30th
37 Charles Flanagan 14 June 2017 27 June 2020 Fine Gael 31st
38 Helen McEntee 27 June 2020 1 November 2020 Fine Gael 32nd

Minister for Justice 2020–present

No. Name Term of office Party Government(s)
Helen McEntee 1 November 2020 Incumbent Fine Gael 32nd
Notes
  1. Before 1937: DM – Dáil Ministry; PG – Provisional Government; EC – Executive Council.
  2. Austin Stack held the title of Secretary of State for Home Affairs.
  3. Also President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State.
  4. Also Minister for Communications from 31 March 1987 to 6 February 1991.
  5. Also Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
  6. Also Minister for Defence.

See also

References
  1. "Minister for Justice - gov.ie". Government of Ireland. 19 November 2020.
  2. "List of Ministers and Ministers of State", Government of Ireland, retrieved 24 July 2020
  3. "About Us". Department of Justice. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  4. "An early history of the Department". Department of Justice. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  5. "Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, Schedule, Tenth Part: Ministers named in former Acts". Irish Statute Book. 21 April 1924. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  6. "Justice (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 1997". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  7. "Justice and Law Reform (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2011". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  8. "Justice and Equality (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2020". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  9. "Our Responsibilities - The Department of Justice". Department of Justice.
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