Minister for Health and Children (Ireland)

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Government of Ireland
Government 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:

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.

Overview

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

  • Child care legislation
  • National Children's Office

Continuing Care

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

Finance

  • Health insurance
  • Hospital planning
  • Public-Private Partnerships

Personnel Management and Development

  • Nursing policy
  • Personnel management and development

Primary Care

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

Secondary Care

  • Blood policy
  • Hospital services

Strategic Policy and Corporate Services

  • Corporate Services
  • Health promotion
  • Health Strategy Legislation

List of office-holders

Minister for Local Government & Public Health 1924–1947

# Name Entered Office Left Office Party
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

# Name Entered Office Left Office Party
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

# Name Entered Office Left Office Party
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

  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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