Minister for Finance (Ireland)

Minister for Finance
Minister for Finance
	Incumbent; Michael McGrath; since 17 December 2022
	Department of Finance
Member of	Government of Ireland; Eurogroup; Council of the European Union; Dáil Éireann;
Reports to	Taoiseach
Seat	Government Buildings,; Merrion Street, Dublin, Ireland
Appointer	President of Ireland on the nomination of the Taoiseach
Inaugural holder	Eoin MacNeill
Formation	22 January 1919
Website	Department of Finance

The Minister for Finance (Irish: An tAire Airgeadais) is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland. The Minister for Finance leads the Department of Finance and is responsible for all financial and monetary matters of the state; and is considered the second most important member of the Government of Ireland, after the Taoiseach.

The current office holder is Michael McGrath, TD.^[1] He is assisted by one Minister of State Neale Richmond, TD.

Overview

Government Buildings, Dublin, is the location of the Department of Finance

The Minister for Finance holds the second most important ministerial position in the Irish Cabinet after that of the Taoiseach. The minister is in charge of the Department of Finance responsible for all financial matters in Ireland. It is one of three positions in the government which the Constitution requires to be held by a member of Dáil Éireann, the other two being Taoiseach and Tánaiste. Many Ministers who have held the Finance portfolio have gone on to become Taoiseach, including Jack Lynch, Charles Haughey, Albert Reynolds, John Bruton, Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen.

The department and minister are occasionally called the Irish Exchequer (or simply the Exchequer), a term previously used under the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland.

Budget

One of the most important aspects of the Minister's work is the creation of the annual

Two-Pack agreement

. In the budget the Minister details the Government's spending programme for the coming year. The budget consists of:

a Financial Statement to the Dáil,
Budgetary Measures (a list of budgetary changes detailing the cost/yield of same),
Budget statistics, and
financial resolutions.

Minister for Finance since 1919

Denotes acting Minister for Finance

Name	Term of office			Government(s)^[a]
Eoin MacNeill	22 January 1919	1 April 1919	Sinn Féin	1st DM
Michael Collins	2 April 1919	22 August 1922	Sinn Féin	2nd DM • 3rd DM • 4th DM • 1st PG
W. T. Cosgrave (acting)	17 July 1922	21 September 1923	Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin	1st EC
Ernest Blythe	21 September 1923	9 March 1932	Cumann na nGaedheal	5th EC
Seán MacEntee	9 March 1932	16 September 1939	Fianna Fáil	2nd
Seán T. O'Kelly	16 September 1939	14 June 1945	Fianna Fáil	4th
Frank Aiken	19 June 1945	18 February 1948	Fianna Fáil	4th
Patrick McGilligan	18 February 1948	13 June 1951	Fine Gael	5th
Seán MacEntee	13 June 1951	2 June 1954	Fianna Fáil	6th
Gerard Sweetman	2 June 1954	20 March 1957	Fine Gael	7th
James Ryan	20 March 1957	21 April 1965	Fianna Fáil	10th
Jack Lynch	21 April 1965	10 November 1966	Fianna Fáil	11th
Charles Haughey	10 November 1966	7 May 1970	Fianna Fáil	13th
George Colley	9 May 1970	14 March 1973	Fianna Fáil	13th
Richie Ryan^[b]	14 March 1973	5 July 1977	Fine Gael	14th
George Colley^[c]	5 July 1977	11 December 1979	Fianna Fáil	15th
Michael O'Kennedy^[c]	12 December 1979	16 December 1980	Fianna Fáil	16th
Gene Fitzgerald^[c]	16 December 1980	30 June 1981	Fianna Fáil	16th
John Bruton	30 June 1981	9 March 1982	Fine Gael	17th
Ray MacSharry	9 March 1982	14 December 1982	Fianna Fáil	18th
Alan Dukes	14 December 1982	14 February 1986	Fine Gael	19th
John Bruton^[d]	14 February 1986	10 March 1987	Fine Gael	19th
Ray MacSharry^[e]	10 March 1987	24 November 1988	Fianna Fáil	20th
Albert Reynolds	24 November 1988	7 November 1991	Fianna Fáil	21st
Charles Haughey (acting)	7 November 1991	14 November 1991	Fianna Fáil	21st
Bertie Ahern	14 November 1991	15 December 1994	Fianna Fáil	22nd • 23rd
Ruairi Quinn	15 December 1994	26 June 1997	Labour	24th
Charlie McCreevy	26 June 1997	29 September 2004	Fianna Fáil	26th
Brian Cowen	29 September 2004	7 May 2008	Fianna Fáil	27th
Brian Lenihan	7 May 2008	9 March 2011	Fianna Fáil	28th
Michael Noonan	9 March 2011	14 June 2017	Fine Gael	30th
Paschal Donohoe^[f]	14 June 2017	17 December 2022	Fine Gael	32nd
Michael McGrath^[g]	17 December 2022	Incumbent	Fianna Fáil	34th

^ Before 1937: DM – Dáil Ministry; PG – Provisional Government; EC – Executive Council.
^ Also Minister for the Public Service from 1 November 1973, on the creation of the new department.
^ ^a ^b ^c Also Minister for the Public Service.
^ Also Minister for the Public Service from 20 January to 20 March 1987, after the resignation of the Labour Party ministers from government.
^ Also Minister for the Public Service until 20 March 1987, when the functions of the department were transferred to the Department of Finance.
^ Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform from 6 May 2016 to 27 June 2020.
^ Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform from 27 June 2020 to 17 December 2022.

References

^ "List of Ministers and Ministers of State", Government of Ireland, retrieved 17 December 2022

External links

Department of Finance

[2] Before 1937: DM – Dáil Ministry; PG – Provisional Government; EC – Executive Council.

[3] Also Minister for the Public Service from 1 November 1973, on the creation of the new department.

[publicservice-4] Also Minister for the Public Service.

[5] Also Minister for the Public Service from 20 January to 20 March 1987, after the resignation of the Labour Party ministers from government.

[6] Also Minister for the Public Service until 20 March 1987, when the functions of the department were transferred to the Department of Finance.

[7] Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform from 6 May 2016 to 27 June 2020.

[8] Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform from 27 June 2020 to 17 December 2022.

[currentgov-1] "List of Ministers and Ministers of State", Government of Ireland, retrieved 17 December 2022

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Overview

Budget

Minister for Finance since 1919

See also

References

External links