Ministers of State of the 22nd Dáil

On 30 June 1981 the 17th Government of Ireland

Government of the 22nd Dáil

The 22nd Dáil was elected at the 1981 general election on 11 June 1981 and first met on 30 June when the 17th Government of Ireland was appointed. The 22nd Dáil lasted for 279 days.-17th Government of Ireland:...

was officially appointed by Dáil Éireann

Dáil Éireann

Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...

. The new Fine Gael

Fine Gael

Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...

–Labour Party

Labour Party (Ireland)

The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...

government was led by the Taoiseach

Taoiseach

The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...

Garret FitzGerald

Garret FitzGerald was an Irish politician who was twice Taoiseach of Ireland, serving in office from July 1981 to February 1982 and again from December 1982 to March 1987. FitzGerald was elected to Seanad Éireann in 1965 and was subsequently elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fine Gael TD in 1969. He...

.

On that day FitzGerald announced to the Dáil that the Government had appointed Gerry L'Estrange

Gerry L'Estrange

Gerry L'Estrange was an Irish Fine Gael politician, who sat in the Oireachtas for nearly thirty years, as a Senator and then as a TD....

, TD

Teachta Dála

A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...

to the post of Minister for State at the Department of the Taoiseach with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip

Chief Whip

The Chief Whip is a political office in some legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.-The Whips Office:...

. On the same day the Taoiseach

Taoiseach

announced that the Government had appointed the other Ministers of State.

Ministers of State (30 June 1981 – 9 March 1982)

Name	Office	Department(s)	Party
Gerry L'Estrange Gerry L'Estrange Gerry L'Estrange was an Irish Fine Gael politician, who sat in the Oireachtas for nearly thirty years, as a Senator and then as a TD....	Government Chief Whip Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach The Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, officially styled as the Minister of State at the Departments of the Taoiseach and Defence with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip, is the Chief Whip of the Government of Ireland and is the most senior Minister of State...	Department of the Taoiseach Department of the Taoiseach The Department of the Taoiseach is the government department of the Taoiseach of Ireland. It is based in Government Buildings, the headquarters of the Government of Ireland, on Merrion Street in Dublin....		Fine Gael Fine Gael Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
	Minister of State at the Department of Defence	Department of Defence Department of Defence (Ireland) The Department of Defence is the department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for preserving peace and security in Ireland and abroad...
Edward Collins	Minister of State for Oil and Minerals Exploration	Department of Industry and Energy		Fine Gael Fine Gael Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
Fergus O'Brien Fergus O'Brien Fergus O'Brien is a former Irish Fine Gael politician, and a former Teachta Dála .Fergus O'Brien was born in Dublin in 1930. He was educated at the College of Technology at Bolton Street before becoming involved in politics. O'Brien was elected to Dáil Éireann on his second attempt at the 1973...	Minister of State for Housing	Department of the Environment		Fine Gael Fine Gael Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
Donal Creed Donal Creed Donal Creed is a retired Irish farmer and Fine Gael party politician from Macroom in County Cork who served as a Teachta Dála for 22 years and as a junior government minister in the 1980s....	Minister of State for Health	Department of Health		Fine Gael Fine Gael Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
Mary Flaherty Mary Flaherty (politician) Mary Flaherty is a former Irish Fine Gael Party politician. She was a Teachta Dála for 16 years, and served briefly as a junior minister in her first year in Dáil Éireann....	Minister of State for Poverty and the Family	Department of Health Department of Social Welfare		Fine Gael Fine Gael Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
Joseph Bermingham Joseph Bermingham Joseph Bermingham was an Irish Labour Party politician.Bermingham was born in Castlemitchell, County Kildare. He was educated at the Christian Brothers school in Athy and the O'Brien Institute in Dublin. Bermingham worked as a shopkeeper before being elected in 1967 as a member of Kildare...	Minister of State for the Office of Public Works	Department of Finance Department of Finance (Ireland) The Department of Finance is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Finance and is assisted by one Minister of State....		Labour Party Labour Party (Ireland) The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
Barry Desmond Barry Desmond Barry Desmond is a former Irish Labour Party politician and government minister.He was educated at the Presentation Brothers, the School of Commerce and University College Cork, and became a trade union official with the ITGWU and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions...	Minister of State for Economic Planning	Department of Finance Department of Finance (Ireland) The Department of Finance is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Finance and is assisted by one Minister of State....		Labour Party Labour Party (Ireland) The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
Paddy Harte Paddy Harte Paddy Harte, Honorary OBE, Honorary LLD is a retired Irish Fine Gael party politician who served for 36 years as Teachta Dála for Donegal North East.-Political career:...	Minister of State for Telecommunications	Department of Posts and Telegraphs		Fine Gael Fine Gael Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
Michael Begley	Minister of State for Tourism	Department of Trade, Commerce and Tourism		Fine Gael Fine Gael Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
Michael Keating Michael Keating (Irish politician) Michael Keating is a former Irish politician.-Early life:Michael Keating was born in Dublin in 1946. He was educated at the Christian Brothers O'Connell School, University College Dublin and St. Patrick's College in Maynooth where he received a Bachelor of Arts...	Minister of State for Youth and Sport	Department of Education		Fine Gael Fine Gael Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
Dick Spring Dick Spring Richard "Dick" Spring is an Irish businessman and former politician. He was first elected as a Labour Party Teachta Dála in 1981 and retained his seat until 2002. He became leader of the Labour Party in 1982, and held this position until 1997...	Minister of State for Law Reform	Department of Justice		Labour Party Labour Party (Ireland) The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
Michael D'Arcy Michael D'Arcy Michael D'Arcy is a retired Irish Fine Gael politician, and a former TD for the Wexford constituency.He was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1977 general election and held it until the 1987 general election when he lost it to Brendan Howlin of the Labour Party...	Minister of State for Production and Marketing	Department of Agriculture		Fine Gael Fine Gael Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
Ted Nealon Ted Nealon Ted Nealon is a former Irish Fine Gael politician and journalist. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1981 general election as a Teachta Dála for Sligo-Leitrim, and was re-elected at each subsequent general election until he retired from politics at the 1997 general election.He served as...	Minister of State for Western Development	Department of Agriculture		Fine Gael Fine Gael Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
Jim O'Keeffe Jim O'Keeffe Jim O'Keeffe is a former Irish Fine Gael politician. He served as a Teachta Dála for Cork South West constituency from 1977 to 2011....	Minister of State for Overseas Development	Department of Foreign Affairs Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland) The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is a department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for promoting the interests of Ireland in the European Union and the wider world...		Fine Gael Fine Gael Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
Changes 11 November 1981
Name	Office	Department(s)	Party
Fergus O'Brien Fergus O'Brien Fergus O'Brien is a former Irish Fine Gael politician, and a former Teachta Dála .Fergus O'Brien was born in Dublin in 1930. He was educated at the College of Technology at Bolton Street before becoming involved in politics. O'Brien was elected to Dáil Éireann on his second attempt at the 1973...	Government Chief Whip Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach The Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, officially styled as the Minister of State at the Departments of the Taoiseach and Defence with special responsibility as Government Chief Whip, is the Chief Whip of the Government of Ireland and is the most senior Minister of State...	Department of the Taoiseach Department of the Taoiseach The Department of the Taoiseach is the government department of the Taoiseach of Ireland. It is based in Government Buildings, the headquarters of the Government of Ireland, on Merrion Street in Dublin....		Fine Gael Fine Gael Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
	Minister of State at the Department of Defence	Department of Defence Department of Defence (Ireland) The Department of Defence is the department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for preserving peace and security in Ireland and abroad...
Donal Creed Donal Creed Donal Creed is a retired Irish farmer and Fine Gael party politician from Macroom in County Cork who served as a Teachta Dála for 22 years and as a junior government minister in the 1980s....	Minister of State for Housing	Department of the Environment		Fine Gael Fine Gael Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
Gerry L'Estrange Gerry L'Estrange Gerry L'Estrange was an Irish Fine Gael politician, who sat in the Oireachtas for nearly thirty years, as a Senator and then as a TD....	Minister of State for Health	Department of Health		Fine Gael Fine Gael Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...

Ministers of State (30 June 1981 – 9 March 1982)

Changes 11 November 1981

See also