Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government

The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (Irish: An Roinn Comhshaoil, Pobail agus Rialtais Áitiúil) is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government who is assisted by one Minister of State.

Departmental team

• Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government: Alan Kelly, TD
  • Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Co-ordination of the Construction 2020 Strategy: Paudie Coffey, TD
• Secretary General of the Department: John McCarthy

Overview

The Custom House, Dublin, is the departmental headquarters.

The official headquarters and ministerial offices of the department are in The Custom House, Dublin 1. It was created as the Department of Local Government at the very first meeting of Dáil Éireann in 1919. Over the years its name has changed several times; however, the role of the department still includes local government. There have been some changes in its functions; for example, in 2011 built and natural heritage came into the remit of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht as part of a reorganisation of Irish ministries.

The mission of the Department is to pursue sustainable development. In pursuing this mission its mandate is to:

• achieve a high quality environment with effective environmental protection;
• address climate change;
• protect and improve water resources and the quality of drinking water;
• ensure that our regions and communities are planned and built to respect sustainable and balanced regional development;
• ensure good quality housing in sustainable communities;
• monitor, analyse and predict Ireland’s weather and climate;
• support and enable democratic and responsive local government.

The Department was known as the following:

• Department of Local Government (1919–1924)
• Department of Local Government and Public Health (1924–1947)
• Department of Local Government (1947–1977)
• Department of the Environment (1977–1997)
• Department of Environment and Local Government (1997–2002)
• Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (2002–2011)
• Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (2011–present)

The Department is responsible for, amongst other matters:

• the environment
• the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland
• local authorities and related services
• the supervision of elections including the general election and presidential elections, and electronic voting arrangements
• Met Éireann, the weather forecasting service.

References

External links

• Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government