View source for Government of Ireland

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{{about|the cabinet of the Republic of Ireland|the government in Northern Ireland|Northern Ireland Executive}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox executive government
| background_color  = #006b54
| government_name   = Government of Ireland
| nativename        = {{langx|ga|Rialtas na hÉireann}}
| border            = central
| image             = Government of Ireland logo.svg
| image_size        = 280px 
| date_established  = [[Adoption of the Constitution of Ireland|29 December 1937]]
| date_dissolved    = 
| state             =  
| country           = {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] 
| polity            = [[Unitary parliamentary republic]]
| leader_title      = [[Taoiseach]]
| appointed         = [[President of Ireland]] on successful nomination from [[Dáil Éireann]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/cons/en/html#part3 | title= Constitution of Ireland, Article 13.1.1° | date= 29 December 1937 | publisher = Irish Statute Book | access-date = 11 January 2023 | quote= The President shall, on the nomination of Dáil Éireann, appoint the Taoiseach, that is, the head of the Government or Prime Minister.}}</ref>
| ministries        = 18<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.ie/en/help/departments/ | title= Departments | date= 19 December 2022 | publisher = Government of Ireland | access-date = 12 January 2023}}</ref> ([[Government of Ireland#Current government of Ireland|list]])
| responsible       = [[Oireachtas|Oireachtas Éireann]]
| budget            = €10.5 billion (2024)<ref>{{cite web |title=Budget 2025 |url=https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/money-and-tax/budgets/budget-2025/ |date=19 November 2024 |publisher=Citizens Information |access-date=28 January 2025 |quote=The Budget sets out an overall package of €10.5 billion. This is made up of a package of once-off measures worth €2 billion, total expenditure of €6.9 billion and additional capital expenditure of €1.6 billion and permanent tax changes of 1.4 billion for 2025.}}</ref>
| address           = [[Government Buildings]],<br/>[[Merrion Street]], [[Dublin]]
| url               = {{URL|https://www.gov.ie/en/}}<br />{{URL|https://www.Ireland.ie/en/}}
}}
{{Politics of the Republic of Ireland|Politics of Ireland}}
The '''Government of Ireland''' ({{langx|ga|Rialtas na hÉireann}}) is the [[executive (government)|executive authority]] of [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], headed by the {{lang|ga|[[Taoiseach]]|italic=no}}, the [[head of government]]. The government – also known as the [[cabinet (government)|cabinet]] – is composed of [[Minister (government)|ministers]], each of whom must be a member of the {{lang|ga|[[Oireachtas]]|italic=no}}, which consists of {{lang|ga|[[Dáil Éireann]]|italic=no}} and {{lang|ga|[[Seanad Éireann]]|italic=no}}. Ministers are usually assigned a [[Department of State (Ireland)|government department]] with a [[wikt:portfolio|portfolio]] covering specific [[government policy|policy]] areas although provision exists for the appointment of a [[minister without portfolio (Ireland)|minister without portfolio]].

The taoiseach must be [[Dáil vote for Taoiseach|nominated by the Dáil]], the House of Representatives, from among its members. Following the nomination of the {{lang|ga|Dáil|italic=no}}, the [[president of Ireland]] formally appoints the {{lang|ga|taoiseach|italic=no}}. The president also appoints members of the government on the nomination of the {{lang|ga|taoiseach|italic=no}} and their approval by the {{lang|ga|Dáil|italic=no}}. The taoiseach nominates one member of the government as {{lang|ga|[[tánaiste]]|italic=no}}, the deputy head of government. Like the taoiseach, the tánaiste and the [[Minister for Finance (Ireland)|minister for finance]] must be members of the Dáil.

The government is dependent on the Oireachtas to pass [[primary legislation]] and as such, the government needs to command a majority in the {{lang|ga|Dáil|italic=no}} to ensure support and confidence for budgets and the passage of government legislation.

The [[35th government of Ireland]] entered office on 23 January 2025 with [[Micheál Martin]], leader of {{lang|ga|[[Fianna Fáil]]|italic=no}}, as {{lang|ga|[[Taoiseach]]|italic=no}}, and [[Simon Harris]], leader of {{lang|ga|[[Fine Gael]]|italic=no}}, as {{lang|ga|[[Tánaiste]]|italic=no}}. It is a [[coalition government]] of {{lang|ga|Fianna Fáil|italic=no}}, {{lang|ga|Fine Gael|italic=no}} and a group of independent TDs, and was formed after negotiations following a [[2024 Irish general election|general election]] in December 2024.<ref name="NewGov_250123">{{Cite web |date=2025-01-23 |first=Micheál |last=Martin |title=Speech by Taoiseach Micheál Martin on announcement of Members of Government |url=https://www.gov.ie/en/speech/b65c5-speech-by-taoiseach-micheal-martin-on-announcement-of-members-of-government/ |access-date=2025-01-24 |website=Government of Ireland (gov.ie) |language=en-IE}}</ref>

==Government==
Membership of the cabinet is regulated by Article 28 of the [[Constitution of Ireland]] and by the [[Ministers and Secretaries Acts|Ministers and Secretaries Acts 1924 to 2020]].<ref name="ministers act 1924">{{cite ISB|year=1924|num=16|section=2|stitle=Ministers to be corporations sole and to have certain powers |title=Ministers and Secretaries Act |parl=ifs}}</ref> The Constitution requires the government to consist of between seven and fifteen members,<ref>[[Constitution of Ireland]], [[s:Constitution of Ireland#THE GOVERNMENT|Article 28.1]]</ref> all of whom must be a member of the [[Oireachtas]].

Since 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 {{lang|ga|[[Seanad Éireann]]|italic=no}}.<ref>[[Constitution of Ireland]], [[s:Constitution of Ireland#THE GOVERNMENT|Article 28.2.2]].</ref> All other members of the cabinet must be members of [[Dáil Éireann]], the house of representatives. The [[Taoiseach]], Tánaiste and [[Minister for Finance (Ireland)|Minister for Finance]] must be members of the Dáil.<ref>[[Constitution of Ireland]], [[s:Constitution of Ireland#THE GOVERNMENT|Article 28.2.1]].</ref> 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, Food and the Marine|Minister for Agriculture]] and [[James Dooge]] who served as [[Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade|Minister for Foreign Affairs]] from 1981 to 1982.<ref name="otoole-dooney">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EeX4AwAAQBAJ&pg=PT9|title=Irish Government Today|page=9|author1-first=John|author1-last=O'Toole|author2-first=Sean|author2-last=Dooney|publisher=Gill & Macmillan Ltd|date=24 July 2009|isbn=9780717145522}}</ref> [[Joseph Connolly (Irish politician)|Joseph Connolly]], a member of the [[Seanad Éireann (Irish Free State)|Free State Seanad]], had served in the [[Executive Council of the Irish Free State]]<ref name="otoole-dooney" /> from 1932 to 1933 as [[Minister for Posts and Telegraphs]], and from 1933 to 1936 as [[Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment|Minister for Lands and Fisheries]].

A member of the government in charge of a [[Department of State (Ireland)|Department of State]] is designated a minister of the Government (before 1977 this position was termed ''Minister of State'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1977/act/28/section/4/enacted/en/html|title=Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1977 (Section 4 – Amendment of Interpretation Act 1937)|publisher=Attorney General of Ireland |year=1977 |access-date=29 June 2020}}</ref> For distinction, [[Minister of State (Ireland)|Ministers of State]] (known before 1977 as [[Parliamentary Secretaries]]) – informally called junior ministers – are not Ministers of the Government, but assist those ministers in their departments. A [[Minister without portfolio#Ireland|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 (Ireland)|the Emergency]] when [[Frank Aiken]] served as [[Minister for the Co-ordination of Defensive Measures]] from 1939 until 1945.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1939/act/36/section/4/enacted/en/html|title=Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1939 (Section 4 – Minister without portfolio) |publisher=Attorney General of Ireland |year=1939 |access-date=22 January 2011}}</ref> The functions of government ministers are [[Former titles of Departments of State (Ireland)|frequently transferred between departments]] during [[cabinet reshuffle]]s or after elections. On occasion, a department of state will cease to exist, its functions being transferred to another department. Such defunct ministerial positions include the Ministers for [[Minister for Labour (Ireland)|Labour]], [[Minister for Posts and Telegraphs|Posts and Telegraphs]], [[Minister for Transport (Ireland)|Public Service]] and [[Minister for Supplies|Supplies]].

==Non-members attending cabinet==
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 the cabinet usually following the Taoiseach or working by consensus.

The government is advised by the [[Attorney General of Ireland|Attorney General]], who is not a member of the government, but who participates in cabinet meetings as part of their role as legal advisor to the government.

The [[Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach|Chief Whip]] may attend meetings of the cabinet, but is not a member of the government.<ref name=juniorministers>{{cite news |title=The Appointments |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/the-appointments-1.568634 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=11 March 2011 }}</ref> In addition, the government can select other [[Minister of State (Ireland)|Ministers of State]] who may attend cabinet meetings. Up to three Ministers of State who regularly attend cabinet meetings may receive an allowance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2001/act/33/section/40/enacted/en/html|title=Ministerial, Parliamentary and Judicial Offices and Oireachtas Members (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2001, Section 40: Amendment of the 1998 Act – insertion of section 3A (allowances payable to certain Ministers of State)|website=Irish Statute Book|date=16 July 2001|access-date=21 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2020/act/10/section/2/enacted/en/html|title=Ministers and Secretaries and Ministerial, Parliamentary, Judicial and Court Offices (Amendment) Act 2020, Section 2: Amendment of section 3A of Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial, Parliamentary, Judicial and Court Offices (Amendment) Act 1998|website=Irish Statute Book|date=2 August 2020|access-date=21 August 2020}}</ref> This person is informally known as a "super junior minister".<ref name=juniorministers/> Ministers of state attending cabinet in the 35th government are [[Mary Butler (politician)|Mary Butler]], [[Hildegarde Naughton]], [[Noel Grealish]], and [[Seán Canney]]. [[Trinity College Dublin]] law professor Oran Doyle has argued that this practice breaches [[Seventeenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|cabinet confidentiality as required by the Constitution]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Oran|last=Doyle|date=2018|title=The Constitution of Ireland: A contextual analysis|publisher=Hart Publishing|pages=53–54|isbn=9781509903436}}</ref> In January 2025, opposition TDs [[Pa Daly]] and [[Paul Murphy (Irish politician)|Paul Murphy]] challenged the attendance of ministers of state at cabinet.<ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Donnell |first1=Orla |title=Sinn Féin TD given High Court permission to take case over Cabinet attendance |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/courts/2025/0129/1493639-sf-daly-high-court-cabinet/ |work=[[RTÉ News]] |date=29 January 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Carolan |first1=Mary |title=TD Paul Murphy seeks court injunction restraining super-junior ministers from attending Cabinet meetings |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/courts/2025/02/05/td-paul-murphy-seeks-court-injunction-restraining-super-junior-ministers-from-attending-cabinet-meetings/ |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |date=5 February 2025}}</ref>

==Term of office==
A new government is formed by the taoiseach appointed after each general election after receiving the [[Dáil vote for Taoiseach|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 the president to [[dissolution of parliament|dissolve]] the Dáil, prompting a new general election.<ref>[[Constitution of Ireland]], [[s:Constitution of Ireland#THE GOVERNMENT|Article 28.10]].</ref>

The taoiseach must retain the confidence of Dáil Éireann to remain in office. If the taoiseach ceases "to retain 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 [[Confidence motions in Dáil Éireann|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 president retains absolute discretion to refuse to grant a dissolution to a taoiseach who has lost the confidence of the Dáil.<ref>[[Constitution of Ireland]], [[s:Constitution of Ireland#THE GOVERNMENT|Article 13.2.2°]].</ref> To date, no President has refused the request of a Taoiseach to dissolve the Dáil.

The taoiseach can direct the president to [[List of ministerial resignations and terminations of appointment in the Republic of Ireland|dismiss or accept the resignation of individual ministers]]. When 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 who were TDs cease to be members of the Oireachtas. However, the Constitution also provides that "the members of 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".<ref>[[Constitution of Ireland]], [[s:Constitution of Ireland#THE GOVERNMENT|Article 28.11]].</ref>

==Caretaker Government==
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 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.

{| class=wikitable
|-
!Date of resignation
!Taoiseach
!Caretaker government
!Date of new government
!Taoiseach
!Incoming government
|-
|26 June 1989<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1989-06-29/19/|title=Statement by Taoiseach – Dáil Éireann (26th Dáil) – Thursday, 29 June 1989|access-date=16 February 2020|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|date=29 June 1989}}</ref>
|[[Charles Haughey]]
|[[20th government of Ireland|Fianna Fáil]]
|12 July 1989<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1989-07-12/7/|title=Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government – Dáil Éireann (26th Dáil) – Wednesday, 12 July 1989|access-date=10 August 2019|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|date=12 July 1989}}</ref>
|Charles Haughey
|[[21st government of Ireland|Fianna Fáil–Progressive Democrats]]
|-
|14 December 1992<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1992-12-15/2/|title=Resignation of Taoiseach – Dáil Éireann (27th Dáil) – Tuesday, 15 December 1992|access-date=15 August 2019|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|date=15 December 1992}}</ref>
|[[Albert Reynolds]]
|[[22nd government of Ireland|Fianna Fáil]]
|12 January 1993<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1993-01-12/7/|title=Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of the Government – Dáil Éireann (27th Dáil) – Tuesday, 12 January 1993|access-date=18 January 2020|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|date=12 January 1993}}</ref>
|Albert Reynolds
|[[23rd government of Ireland|Fianna Fáil–Labour]]
|-
|18 November 1994<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1994-11-22/2/|title=Resignation of Taoiseach and Ministerial Changes: Statement – Dáil Éireann (27th Dáil) – Tuesday, 22 November 1994|access-date=15 August 2019|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|date=22 November 1994}}</ref>
|Albert Reynolds
|[[23rd government of Ireland|Fianna Fáil]]
|15 December 1994<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1994-12-15/28/|title=Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of the Government – Dáil Éireann (27th Dáil) – Thursday, 15 December 1994|access-date=13 January 2020|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|date=15 December 1994}}</ref>
|[[John Bruton]]
|[[24th government of Ireland|Fine Gael–Labour–Democratic Left]]
|-
|10 March 2016<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2016-03-22/3/|title=Resignation of Taoiseach – Dáil Éireann (32nd Dáil) – Tuesday, 22 March 2016|date=22 March 2016|publisher=Houses of the Oireachtas|access-date=14 January 2020}}</ref>
|[[Enda Kenny]]
|[[29th government of Ireland|Fine Gael–Labour]]
|6 May 2016<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2016-05-06/8/|title=Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of the Government (Motion) – Dáil Éireann (32nd Dáil) – Friday, 6 May 2016|access-date=14 January 2020|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|date=6 May 2016}}</ref>
|Enda Kenny
|[[30th government of Ireland|Fine Gael–Independent]]
|-
|20 February 2020<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2020-02-20/10/|title=Nomination of Taoiseach – Dáil Éireann (33rd Dáil) – Thursday, 20 February 2020|access-date=28 February 2020|website=Houses of the Oireachtas|date=20 February 2020}}</ref>
|[[Leo Varadkar]]
|[[31st government of Ireland|Fine Gael–Independent]]
|27 June 2020<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/new-government-to-decide-on-cabinet-positions-1007845.html|title=New government to decide on Cabinet positions|publisher=[[Irish Examiner]]|first=Paul|last=Hosford|date=27 June 2020|access-date=27 June 2020}} {{cite news|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/watch-micheal-martin-nominated-for-taoiseach-of-33rd-dail-1007831.html|title=33rd Dáil elects Micheál Martin as new Taoiseach|publisher=[[Irish Examiner]]|first=Juno|last=McEnroe|date=27 June 2020|access-date=27 June 2020}}</ref>
|[[Micheál Martin]]
|[[32nd government of Ireland|Fianna Fáil–Fine Gael–Green Party]]
|}

==Authority and powers==
The government of Ireland is both the {{lang|la|de jure}} and {{lang|la|de facto}} executive authority in Ireland. This is in contrast to some other parliamentary regimes, where 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:
*The state may not [[Declaration of war|declare war]], or participate in a war, without the consent of the Dáil. In the case of "actual invasion", however, "the Government may take whatever steps they may consider necessary for the protection of the State".

Government ministers are collectively responsible for the actions of the government. Each minister 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.<ref>{{cite BAILII|litigants= Devanney v. Shields|court=IEHC|year=1997|num=167|parallelcite=[1998] 1 I.R. 230; [1998] 1 I.L.R.M. 81|date = 31 October 1997|courtname=auto}}</ref> This leads to 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 {{lang|la|[[mandamus]]}}. Ministers who fail to comply may, ultimately, be found to be in [[contempt of court]], and even imprisoned.

==History==
Prior to independence, the executive of the [[unilateral declaration of independence|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 (1922)|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 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 [[1st Government of Ireland|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 a number of occasions, and these may be cited together as the [[Ministers and Secretaries Acts|Ministers and Secretaries Acts 1924 to 2020]] and are construed together as one Act.

All governments from 1989 to 2016 were [[coalition government|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 the party leader) and [[Leo Varadkar]], from 2022 to 2024, and [[Simon Harris]], from 2024 to 2025 (leaders of Fine Gael, in a three-party coalition where Fianna Fáil was the largest party).

==Public service==
{{main|Public service of the Republic of Ireland}}
[[File:Government Buildings, Dublin, Ireland.jpg|thumb|[[Government Buildings]] in Dublin.]]
The public service in Ireland refers to the totality of [[public administration]] in Ireland. As of Q4, 2024 the total number of employees in the Irish public service stands at 408,895 people. The [[Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation]] defines the public service as comprising seven sectors: the [[Civil service of the Republic of Ireland|civil service]], [[Irish Defence Forces|defence sector]], [[Education in the Republic of Ireland|education sector]], [[Healthcare in the Republic of Ireland|health sector]], [[Law enforcement in the Republic of Ireland|justice sector]], [[Local government in the Republic of Ireland|local authorities]] and [[State Agencies of the Republic of Ireland|non-commercial state agencies]] (such as [[Bord Bia]], [[IDA Ireland]] and the [[Commission for Regulation of Utilities]]). Commercial [[State-sponsored bodies of the Republic of Ireland|state-owned bodies]] such as [[RTÉ]], [[ESB Group]] and [[An Post]] are not part of the public service in Ireland.

The largest sector is the health sector with over 148,265 employees (largely in the [[Health Service Executive]]), followed by the education sector with approximately 134,556.<ref>{{cite web|title=Department of Public Expenditure & Reform – Databank – Public Service Numbers|url=http://databank.per.gov.ie/Public_Service_Numbers.aspx?rep=SectorTrend|website=Department of Public Expenditure & Reform|access-date=8 January 2017|ref=per_databank}}</ref>

===Public service employees===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Sector !! Employees
|-
| Civil Service || 52,793
|-
| Defence Sector || 7,903
|-
| Education Sector || 134,556
|-
| Health Sector || 148,265
|-
| Justice Sector || 14,080
|-
| Local Authorities || 32,372
|-
| NCSA || 18,922
|-
| Total || 408,895
|}

===Largest single public sector bodies by employees===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Agency/Body!! Employees
|-
| [[Health Service Executive]] || 89,284
|-
| [[Garda Síochána]] || 14,080
|-
| [[Defence Forces (Ireland)|Irish Defence Forces]] || 7,903
|-
| [[Revenue Commissioners]] || 6,622
|-
| [[Dublin City Council]] || 6,094
|-
| [[Irish Prison Service]] || 3,547
|}

===Civil service===
{{main|Civil service of the Republic of Ireland}}
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 is expected to maintain political impartiality in its work, and some parts of it are entirely independent of government decision-making.

==Current government of Ireland==
{{main|35th government of Ireland}}
[[Micheál Martin]] was nominated as Taoiseach by [[Dáil Éireann]] on 23 January 2025 and appointed by the [[President of Ireland|president]]. Martin nominated the government members, and after their approval by the Dáil, they were appointed by the president.

{|class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="6"|Government ministers
|-
!colspan="2"|Office
!Name
!colspan="2"|Party
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Micheál Martin TD (cropped).jpg|bSize=125|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=5}}
|[[Taoiseach]] 
|[[Micheál Martin]]
| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Simon Harris at the Special European Council - 2024 (cropped).jpg|bSize=120|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=0}}
|[[Tánaiste]]<br/>[[Minister for Finance (Ireland)|Minister for Finance]]
|[[Simon Harris]]
| {{party name with colour|rowspan=4|Fine Gael}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Peter_Burke%2C_2_May_2024_%28cropped%29.jpg|bSize=140|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=10}}
|[[Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment]]
|[[Peter Burke (politician)|Peter Burke]]
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Jennifer_Carroll_MacNeill%2C_17_December_2024_%28cropped%29.jpg|bSize=150|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=10}}
|[[Minister for Health (Ireland)|Minister for Health]]
|[[Jennifer Carroll MacNeill|Jennifer Carroll Macneill]]
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Helen_McEntee_in_2018.jpg|bSize=150|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=10}}
|[[Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade]]<br/>[[Minister for Defence (Ireland)|Minister for Defence]]
|[[Helen McEntee]] 
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Jack Chambers, 15 July 2024 (cropped).jpg|bSize=120|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=0}}
|[[Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation|Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure,<br/>Public Service Reform and Digitalisation]]
|[[Jack Chambers (politician)|Jack Chambers]]
| {{party name with colour|rowspan=3|Fianna Fáil}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Darragh O'Brien, December 2023 (cropped).jpg|bSize=120|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=0}}
|[[Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment]]<br/>[[Minister for Transport (Ireland)|Minister for Transport]] 
|[[Darragh O'Brien]]
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=James_Browne%2C_June_2023_%28cropped%29.jpg|bSize=120|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=0}}
|[[Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage]]
|[[James Browne (Fianna Fáil politician)|James Browne]]
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Martin_Heydon%2C_Dec_2024_%2854186959926%29_%28cropped%29.jpg|bSize=120|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=0}}
|[[Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine]]
|[[Martin Heydon]]
|style="background-color: {{party color|Fine Gael}};" rowspan="2" |
|rowspan="2"|[[Fine Gael]]
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Patrick O'Donovan 2020.jpg|bSize=130|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=5}}
|[[Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport]]
|[[Patrick O'Donovan]]
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=James_Lawless%2C_Dec_2024_%28cropped%29.jpg|bSize=120|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=0}}
|[[Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science|Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research,<br/>Innovation and Science]]
|[[James Lawless]]
| {{party name with colour|rowspan=4|Fianna Fáil}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Dara_Calleary%2C_Dec_2024_%2854186811634%29_%28cropped%29.jpg|bSize=150|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=15}}
|[[Minister for Social Protection]]<br/>[[Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht]]
|[[Dara Calleary]]
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Norma_Foley%2C_April_2024_%28cropped%29.jpg|bSize=150|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=10}}
|[[Minister for Children, Disability and Equality]]
|[[Norma Foley]]
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Jim_O%27Callaghan%2C_Dec_2024_%2854181592993%29_%28cropped%29.jpg|bSize=120|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=0}}
|[[Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration]]
|[[Jim O'Callaghan]]
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Hildegarde_Naughton_2024_%28cropped%29.jpg|bSize=140|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=10}}
|[[Minister for Education and Youth]]
|[[Hildegarde Naughton]]
| {{party name with colour|Fine Gael}}
|-
!colspan="6"|Also attending cabinet
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Mary_Butler%2C_Dec_2024_%2854186529846%29_%28cropped%29.jpg|bSize=140|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=10}}
|[[Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach|Government Chief Whip]]<br/>[[Minister of State at the Department of Health]]
|[[Mary Butler (politician)|Mary Butler]]
| {{party name with colour|Fianna Fáil}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Newly_Elected_Deputy_Noel_Grealish_2024_%28cropped%29.jpg|bSize=150|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=10}}
|[[Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine|Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture,<br/>Food, Fisheries and the Marine]]
|[[Noel Grealish]]
| {{party name with colour|rowspan=2|Independent politician (Ireland)}}
|-
|{{CSS image crop|Image=Sean_Canney%2C_Dec_2024_-_%2854182976050_%29_%28cropped%29.jpg|bSize=150|cWidth=120|cHeight=160|oTop=0|oLeft=10}}
|[[Minister of State at the Department of Transport]]
|[[Seán Canney]]
|}

==See also==
*[[Irish cabinets since 1919]]
*[[Politics of the Republic of Ireland]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website}}
*[http://www.merrionstreet.ie Merrionstreet.ie Irish Government News Service]
*[https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/9b5048-government-ministers/ List of ministers and ministers of state]
*[http://www.eurolearn.org/destinations/ireland/government_and_economy/ Ireland's Government and Economy at EuroLearn.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017130625/http://www.eurolearn.org/destinations/ireland/government_and_economy/ |date=17 October 2013 }}

{{Government of Ireland}}
{{Governments of Ireland}}
{{Irish Government Departments}}
{{British-Irish Council}}
{{Europe topic|Government of|title=Governments of Europe}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Ireland topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Government of Ireland}}
[[Category:Politics of the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:European governments|Ireland]]
[[Category:Government of the Republic of Ireland| ]]