Minister for Labour (Ireland)
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The Minister for Labour was originally the name of a government department in the Government of the Irish Republic, the self-declared state which was established in 1919 by Dáil Éireann, the extra-legal parliamentary assembly made up of the majority of Irish MPs elected in the 1918 general election. Countess Markiewicz was the first person to hold the post. The office was abolished in 1922.
The modern title of Minister for Labour was created by the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act, 1966 as a member of the Irish Government. The position was for many years a low key ministerial position. In 1993 the minister became the Minister for Equality & Law Reform, in 1997 the functions of the minister were passed to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform on the abolition of the office.
Contents |
[edit] List of office-holders
[edit] Minister for Labour 1919–1922
| # | Name | Entered Office | Left Office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Countess Markiewicz | April 2, 1919 | January 9, 1922 | Sinn Féin | |
| 2. | Joseph McGrath | January 11, 1922 | September 9, 1922 | Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin | |
| 3. | Patrick Hogan (acting) | July 17, 1922 | September 9, 1922 | Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin | |
[edit] Minister for Labour 1966–1993
| # | Name | Entered Office | Left Office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Patrick Hillery | July 13, 1966 | July 2, 1969 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 2. | Joseph Brennan | July 2, 1969 | March 14, 1973 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 3. | Michael O'Leary | March 14, 1973 | July 5, 1977 | Labour Party | |
| 4. | *Gene FitzGerald (1st time) | July 5, 1977 | December 16, 1980 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 5. | Tom Nolan | December 16, 1980 | June 30, 1981 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 6. | *Liam Kavanagh (1st time) | June 30, 1981 | March 9, 1982 | Labour Party | |
| *Gene FitzGerald (2nd time) | March 9, 1982 | December 14, 1982 | Fianna Fáil | ||
| *Liam Kavanagh (2nd time) | December 14, 1982 | December 13, 1983 | Labour Party | ||
| 7. | *Ruairi Quinn | December 13, 1983 | January 20, 1987 | Labour Party | |
| 8. | Gemma Hussey | January 20, 1987 | March 10, 1987 | Fine Gael | |
| 9. | Bertie Ahern | March 10, 1987 | November 14, 1991 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 10. | Michael O'Kennedy | November 14, 1991 | February 11, 1992 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 11. | Brian Cowen | February 11, 1992 | January 12, 1993 | Fianna Fáil | |
| 12. | Mervyn Taylor | January 12, 1993 | January 21, 1993 | Labour Party | |
The asterisk (*) indicates ministers who held both the Labour and Public Service portfolios at the same time.
[edit] Minister for Equality and Law Reform 1993–1997
| # | Name | Entered Office | Left Office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mervyn Taylor (1st time) | January 21, 1993 | November 17, 1994 | Labour Party | |
| 2. | Máire Geoghegan-Quinn | November 18, 1994 | December 15, 1994 | Fianna Fáil | |
| Mervyn Taylor (2nd time) | December 15, 1994 | June 26, 1997 | Labour Party | ||
| 3. | John O'Donoghue | June 26, 1997 | July 8, 1997 | Fianna Fáil | |
