Minister for Justice and Equality

Minister for Justice and Equality
Incumbent
Alan Shatter

since 9 March 2011
Appointer President of Ireland on the nomination of the Taoiseach
Inaugural holder Michael Collins as Minister for Home Affairs
Formation 22 January 1919
Website www.justice.ie

The Minister for Justice and Equality (Irish: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt agus Comhionannais) is the senior minister at the Department of Justice and Equality in the Government of Ireland.

The current Minister for Justice and Equality is Alan Shatter, TD. He is assisted by:

The Minister has overall responsibility for law and order in Ireland. From 1919 until 1923 the holder of the justice portfolio was known as the Minister for Home Affairs. In 1997, the portfolio of the then-Minister for Justice was amalgamated with that of the Minister for Equality and Law Reform to create a Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, a position which was retained until 2010.

Contents

Overview

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

List of office-holders

  Denotes acting Minister

Minister for Home Affairs 1919–1923

No. Name Entered Office Left Office Party
1. Michael Collins 22 January 1919 1 April 1919 Sinn Féin
2. Arthur Griffith 2 April 1919 22 August 1921 Sinn Féin
3. Austin Stack[1] 22 August 1921 9 January 1922 Sinn Féin
4. Eamonn Duggan 10 January 1922 9 September 1922 Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin
5. Kevin O'Higgins 30 August 1922 19 September 1923 Cumann na nGaedheal

Minister for Justice 1923–1997

No. Name Entered Office Left Office Party
Kevin O'Higgins 19 September 1923 10 July 1927 Cumann na nGaedheal
6. W. T. Cosgrave 10 July 1927 12 October 1927 Cumann na nGaedheal
7. James FitzGerald-Kenney 12 October 1927 9 March 1932 Cumann na nGaedheal
8. James Geoghegan 9 March 1932 8 February 1933 Fianna Fáil
9. P. J. Ruttledge 8 February 1933 8 September 1939 Fianna Fáil
10. Gerald Boland (1st time) 8 September 1939 18 February 1948 Fianna Fáil
11. Seán Mac Eoin 18 February 1948 7 March 1951 Fine Gael
12. Daniel Morrissey 7 March 1951 13 June 1951 Fine Gael
Gerald Boland (2nd time) 13 June 1951 2 June 1954 Fianna Fáil
13. James Everett 2 June 1954 20 March 1957 Labour Party
14. Oscar Traynor 20 March 1957 11 October 1961 Fianna Fáil
15. Charles Haughey 11 October 1961 8 October 1964 Fianna Fáil
16. Seán Lemass (acting) 8 October 1964 3 November 1964 Fianna Fáil
17. Brian Lenihan, Snr 3 November 1964 26 March 1968 Fianna Fáil
18. Micheál Ó Móráin 27 March 1968 5 May 1970 Fianna Fáil
19. Desmond O'Malley 5 May 1970 14 March 1973 Fianna Fáil
20. Patrick Cooney 14 March 1973 5 July 1977 Fine Gael
21. Gerry Collins (1st time) 5 July 1977 30 June 1981 Fianna Fáil
22. Jim Mitchell 30 June 1981 9 March 1982 Fine Gael
23. Seán Doherty 9 March 1982 14 December 1982 Fianna Fáil
24. Michael Noonan 14 December 1982 14 February 1986 Fine Gael
25. Alan Dukes 14 February 1986 10 March 1987 Fine Gael
Gerry Collins (2nd time) 10 March 1987 12 July 1989 Fianna Fáil
26. Ray Burke 12 July 1989 11 February 1992 Fianna Fáil
27. Pádraig Flynn 11 February 1992 4 January 1993 Fianna Fáil
28. Máire Geoghegan-Quinn 4 January 1993 15 December 1994 Fianna Fáil
29. Nora Owen 15 December 1994 26 June 1997 Fine Gael
30. John O'Donoghue 26 June 1997 8 July 1997 Fianna Fáil

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform 1997–2010

No. Name Entered Office Left Office Party
John O'Donoghue 8 July 1997 6 June 2002 Fianna Fáil
31. Michael McDowell 6 June 2002 14 June 2007 Progressive Democrats
32. Brian Lenihan, Jnr 14 June 2007 7 May 2008 Fianna Fáil
33. Dermot Ahern 7 May 2008 23 March 2010 Fianna Fáil

Minister for Justice and Law Reform 2010–2011

No. Name Entered Office Left Office Party
Dermot Ahern 23 March 2010 19 January 2011 Fianna Fáil
34. Brendan Smith 20 January 2011 9 March 2011 Fianna Fáil

Minister for Justice and Equality 2011–present

No. Name Entered Office Left Office Party
35. Alan Shatter 9 March 2011 Incumbent Fine Gael

See also

References

  1. ^ Austin Stack bore the title of Secretary of State for Home Affairs.

External links