Opposition Front Bench (Ireland)
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The Opposition Front Bench in the Republic of Ireland is a group of senior parliamentary opposition Teachtaí Dála who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's. These members are assigned a particular portfolio and mark each individual member of the government. Members of the Opposition are often but not always appointed to a Cabinet post if and when their party gets into government.
Fine Gael is the largest opposition party in the Dáil and therefore that party's leader takes the title Leader of the Opposition, a largely nominal role. The other parties that occupy the opposition benches include the Labour Party, Sinn Féin, the Green Party and the Socialist Party.
The "Official Opposition" is viewed as the party tasked with keeping the government in check. It is also generally viewed as the alternative government. The Official Opposition maintains a Front bench of Teachtaí Dála (TDs) that often have the same portfolios as actual ministers. They are known as opposition "spokespersons".
The title of "the Opposition" is held by the largest party in Dáil Éireann which is not in government, and sometimes the Opposition may even be the largest party in the Dáil. The latter situation almost always occurs when Fianna Fáil are in opposition. This is due to the existence of the multi-party system where Fine Gael usually forms a coalition with the Labour Party.
[edit] Opposition Front Bench
[edit] Front Bench Spokespersons
| Portfolio | Opposition Spokesperson | |
|---|---|---|
| Leader of the Opposition Spokesperson on Northern Ireland | Enda Kenny | 2002– |
| Deputy-Leader of the Opposition Spokesperson on Finance | Richard Bruton | 2002– |
| Spokesperson on Justice & Law Reform | Charles Flanagan | 2007– |
| Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs | Billy Timmins (Irish politician) | 2007– |
| Spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade & Employment | Leo Varadkar | 2007– |
| Spokesperson on Health & Children | Dr. James Reilly | 2007– |
| Spokesperson on the Environment, Heritage & Local Government | Phil Hogan | 2007– |
| Spokesperson on Arts, Sport & Tourism | Olivia Mitchell | 2007– |
| Spokesperson on Social, Family Affairs & Equality | Olwyn Enright | 2007– |
| Spokesperson on Transport & the Marine | Fergus O'Dowd | 2007– |
| Spokesperson on Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs | Michael Ring | 2007– |
| Spokesperson on Agriculture & Food | Michael Creed | 2007– |
| Spokesperson on Education & Science | Brian Hayes | 2007– |
| Spokesperson on Defence | Jimmy Deenihan | 2007– |
| Spokesperson on Immigration and Integration | Dennis Naughten | 2007– |
| Spokesperson on Children | Alan Shatter | 2007– |
| Spokesperson on Communications & Natural Resources | Simon Coveney | 2007– |
| Chief Whip | Paul Kehoe | 2004– |
| Portfolio | Deputy Spokesperson | |
|---|---|---|
| Assistant Chief Whip Spokesperson on Health with special responsibility for Mental Health & Children | Dan Neville | 2002– |
| Spokesperson on Finance | Paul McGrath | 2002– |
| Spokesperson on Justice & Community Affairs with special responsibility for Drugs, Alcohol & Crime Prevention | Damien English | 2004– |
| Spokesperson on Justice | Gerard Murphy | 2004– |
| Spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade & Employment with special responsibility for EU Internal Market Development & Small & Medium Enterprises | Pat Breen | 2004– |
| Spokesperson on the Environment with special responsibility for Heritage & Rural Affairs | Tom Hayes | 2004– |
| Spokesperson on the Environment & Local Government with special responsibility for Urban Renewal & Housing Policy | Pádraic McCormack | 2004– |
| Spokesperson on Agriculture | Seymour Crawford | 2004– |
| Spokesperson on Transport with special responsibility for Road Safety | Shane McEntee | 2006– |
