Minister for Health and Children (Ireland)

Government of IrelandGovernment of Ireland

The Minister for Health and Children (Template:Lang-ga) is the senior minister at the Department of Health and Children in the Irish Government and is responsible for health care in the Republic of Ireland and related services.

The current Minister for Health and Children is Mary Harney, TD. She is assisted by:

*     * Minister of State for Children: Brendan Smith, TD
* Minister of State for Older People: Máire Hoctor, TD
* Minister of State for Disability Issues and Mental Health: Jimmy Devins, TD

Health care formed part of the portfolio of the Minister for Local Government and Public Health until 22 January, 1947. On that date the new position of Minister for Health was created, with complete control over all policy regarding health care provision in Ireland. In later years, the health portfolio was occasionally coupled with that for social welfare portfolio, in which case the incumbent was known as the Minister for Health and Social Welfare.

In recent years, and especially since the tenure of Michael Noonan in 1994–1997, being appointed as minister has become somewhat of a "poisoned chalice" in government circles and a portfolio to be avoided by aspiring politicians[1]. A number of scandals, mostly due to medical negligence, have meant that the minister immediately becomes identified with the scandal. For instance the Hepatitis C scandal, the withholding of baby organs without parential consent or knowledge, the Dr. Michael Neary saga in Drogheda and other high profile medical scandals have dogged the minister and department. Additionally the minister has to deal with logistic issues not seen in other departments such as strikes, shortages and queues which are all to familiar in clinics and hospitials around the country.

## Contents

* 1 Overview
* 1.1 Child Care
* 1.2 Continuing Care
* 1.3 Finance
* 1.4 Personnel Management and Development
* 1.5 Primary Care
* 1.6 Secondary Care
* 1.7 Strategic Policy and Corporate Services
* 2 List of office-holders
* 2.1 Minister for Local Government & Public Health 1924–1947
* 2.2 Minister for Health 1947–1997
* 2.3 Minister for Health & Children 1997–present
* 3 Footnotes
* 4 External link

## Overview

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The Minister's duties include the creation and assessment of policy for the health services. The main policy sections of the Department, together with their responsibilities, are:

### Child Care

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* Child care legislation
* National Children's Office

### Continuing Care

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* Services for homeless adults
* Services for people with disabilities
* Services for the elderly and palliative care

### Finance

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* Health insurance
* Hospital planning
* Public-Private Partnerships

### Personnel Management and Development

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* Nursing policy
* Personnel management and development

### Primary Care

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* Community health (child health, dental services, AIDS, reproductive health)
* General medical services

### Secondary Care

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* Blood policy
* Hospital services

### Strategic Policy and Corporate Services

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* Corporate Services
* Health promotion
* Health Strategy Legislation

## List of office-holders

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### Minister for Local Government & Public Health 1924–1947

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#  | Name  | Entered Office  | Left Office  | Party

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style="background-color: Template:Cumann na nGaedhael/meta/color" |  |  | Ernest Blythe | June 2, 1924 | June 23, 1927 | Cumann na nGaedhael
style="background-color: Template:Cumann na nGaedhael/meta/color" |  | 4\.  | Richard Mulcahy | June 23, 1927 | March 9, 1932 | Cumann na nGaedhael
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  | 5\.  | Seán T. O'Kelly | March 9, 1932 | September 8, 1939 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  | 6\.  | P. J. Ruttledge | September 8, 1939 | August 14, 1941 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  | 7\.  | Éamon de Valera (acting) | August 15, 1941 | August 18, 1941 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  | 8\.  | Seán MacEntee | August 18, 1941 | January 22, 1947 | Fianna Fáil

### Minister for Health 1947–1997

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#  | Name  | Entered Office  | Left Office  | Party

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style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  | 1\.  | James Ryan (1st time) | January 22, 1947 | February 18, 1948 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Clann na Poblachta/meta/color" |  | 2\.  | Noel Browne | February 18, 1948 | April 11, 1951 | Clann na Poblachta
style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" |  | 3\.  | John A. Costello (acting) | April 12, 1951 | June 13, 1951 | Fine Gael
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  |  | *James Ryan (2nd time) | June 13, 1951 | June 2, 1954 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" |  | 4\.  | Tom O'Higgins | June 2, 1954 | March 20, 1957 | Fine Gael
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  | 5\.  | *Seán MacEntee | March 20, 1957 | April 21, 1965 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  | 6\.  | Donagh O'Malley | April 21, 1965 | July 13, 1966 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  | 7\.  | Seán Flanagan | July 13, 1966 | July 2, 1969 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  | 8\.  | Erskine H. Childers | July 2, 1969 | March 14, 1973 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" |  | 9\.  | *Brendan Corish | March 14, 1973 | July 5, 1977 | Labour Party
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  | 10\.  | *Charles Haughey | July 5, 1977 | December 11, 1979 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  | 11\.  | *Michael Woods (1st time) | December 12, 1979 | June 30, 1981 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" |  | 12\.  | *Eileen Desmond | June 30, 1981 | March 9, 1982 | Labour Party
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  |  | *Michael Woods (2nd time) | March 9, 1982 | December 14, 1982 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" |  | 13\.  | *Barry Desmond | December 14, 1982 | January 20, 1987 | Labour Party
style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" |  | 14\.  | John Boland | January 20, 1987 | March 10, 1987 | Fine Gael
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  | 15\.  | Rory O'Hanlon | March 10, 1987 | November 14, 1991 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  | 16\.  | Mary O'Rourke | November 14, 1991 | February 11, 1992 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  | 17\.  | John O'Connell | February 11, 1992 | January 12, 1993 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" |  | 18\.  | Brendan Howlin | January 12, 1994 | November 17, 1994 | Labour Party
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  |  | *Michael Woods (3rd time) | November 17, 1994 | December 15, 1994 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" |  | 19\.  | Michael Noonan | December 15, 1994 | June 26, 1997 | Fine Gael
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  | 20\.  | Brian Cowen | June 26, 1997 | July 12, 1997 | Fianna Fáil

### Minister for Health & Children 1997–present

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#  | Name  | Entered Office  | Left Office  | Party

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style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  |  | Brian Cowen | July 12, 1997 | January 27, 2000 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" |  | 21\.  | Micheál Martin | January 27, 2000 | September 29, 2004 | Fianna Fáil
style="background-color: Template:Progressive Democrats/meta/color" |  | 22\.  | Mary Harney | September 29, 2004 | Incumbent | Progressive Democrats

The asterisk (*) indicates ministers who held the Health and Social Welfare portfolios simultaneously.

## Footnotes

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1. ↑ Brian Cowen famously referred to the Department of Health as Angola due the fact that their were landmines everywhere.

## External link

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* Department of Health and Children

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