The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment ( ga, An Roinn Fiontar, Trádála agus Fostaíochta) is a department of the

Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The gover ...

. It is led by the

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment ( ga, An tAire Fiontar, Trádála agus Fostaíochta) is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The current Minister for Ent ...

who is assisted by two

Ministers of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...

Departmental team

Simon Coveney Simon Coveney (born 16 June 1972) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment since December 2022 and Deputy Leader of Fine Gael since 2017. He previously served as Minister for Foreign Affai ...

, TD ** Minister of State for Employment Affairs and Retail Businesses:

Damien English Damien English (born 21 February 1978) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Meath West constituency since 2007, and previously from 2002 to 2007 for the Meath constituency. He served as Minister of State f ...

, TD ** Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation:

Dara Calleary Dara Calleary (born 10 May 1973) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has served as Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation since August 2022. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Mayo constituency since th ...

, TD *Secretary General of the Department: Orlaigh Quinn

Overview

The official headquarters and ministerial offices of the department are at

Kildare Street Kildare Street () is a street in Dublin, Ireland. Location Kildare Street is close to the principal shopping area of Grafton Street and Dawson Street, to which it is joined by Molesworth Street. Trinity College lies at the north end of the ...

, Dublin. It is one of the most important economic departments in the Irish Government, responsible for the implementation of policy in five key areas: * Enterprise, Innovation, Growth * Quality Work and Learning * Making Markets and Regulation work better * Quality, Value and Continuous Improvement * the European Union. A large element of the work of the Department arises from Ireland's membership of a number of international organisations, in particular the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

and the

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and ...

. The Department plays an active role in the development of EU and WTO policies, particularly to ensure that Ireland's interests are protected. The Department is organised into five divisions. They are: *Innovation and Investment Division *Enterprise and Trade Division *Commerce, Consumer and Competition Division *Employment Rights and Industrial Relations Division *Corporate Services

Bodies and offices associated with the Department

The department oversees a large number of bodies and agencies. In July 2009 the

Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes The Expenditure Review Committee (more commonly known as An Bord Snip) was an advisory committee established by the Irish Government in 1987 to recommend cuts in state spending. Establishment The committee was established by the then Taoiseach, ...

proposed merging the Competition Authority and the National Consumer Agency. However, this process remains at an early stage. Until 2010, the Department was responsible for FÁS, which had its responsibilities divided up between two bodies in 2013. Bodies and agencies associated with the Department include: * Companies Registration Office *

Competition and Consumer Protection Commission The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is the Competition regulator in Ireland. It is an Irish state agency established in 2014, combining the previous functions of the Competition Authority and the National Consumer Agency. ...

*Local Enterprise Offices *

Director of Corporate Enforcement The Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA) is the competent authority in Ireland for the general promotion of compliance with the Companies Acts, the investigation of breaches of the Companies Acts and the taking of any necessary enforcement act ...

*Employment Appeals Tribunal *

Enterprise Ireland Enterprise Ireland is an Irish state economic development agency focused on helping Irish-owned business deliver new export sales. The aim of Enterprise Ireland is . History Enterprise Ireland was established by the Industrial Development (E ...

Health and Safety Authority The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) is the national body in Ireland with responsibility for occupational health and safety. Its role is to secure health and safety at work. It is an Irish state-sponsored body, established under the ''Safety, H ...

IDA Ireland Industrial Development Agency (IDA Ireland) ( ga, An Ghníomhaireacht Forbartha Tionscail) is the agency responsible for the attraction and retention of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) into Ireland. The agency was founded in 1949 as the ...

InterTradeIreland The Trade and Business Development Body ( ga, An Comhlacht Forbartha Trádála agus Gnó; Ulster-Scots: ''Tha Mercat an Dalin Fordèrin Convenerie''),

(under North-South co-operation structures) *Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority *Labour Court *

Workplace Relations Commission The Workplace Relations Commission (also known as its abbreviation, the WRC and sometimes referred to as the Commission) is the independent State agency responsible for industrial relations in Ireland, established under the Workplace Relations Ac ...

National Standards Authority of Ireland The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) member body for the Republic of Ireland. The NSAI is also a member of the European Organisation for Technical Approvals. The NSAI wa ...

*Office of the Register of Friendly Societies *Patents Office *Personal Injuries Assessment Board

History

In the Ministry of Dáil Éireann of the

Irish Republic The Irish Republic ( ga, Poblacht na hÉireann or ) was an unrecognised revolutionary state that declared its independence from the United Kingdom in January 1919. The Republic claimed jurisdiction over the whole island of Ireland, but by ...

(1919–1922) there was a separate Minister for Industries and a Director of Trade and Commerce. These titled varied over the course of the ministries established during this revolutionary period. In the Irish Free State, there was a Minister for Industry and Commerce as part of the first Executive Council of the Irish Free State established in 1922. This was given a statutory basis by the

Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 The Ministers and Secretaries Acts 1924 to 2020 is the legislation which governs the appointment of ministers to the Government of Ireland and the allocation of functions between departments of state. It is subject in particular to the provisi ...

. This act provided it with: The Schedule assigned it with the duties of the following bodies: *Ministry of Transport (excluding the Roads Department). *The Board of Trade. *Registrar of Companies. *Registrar of Business Names. *Registration of Shipping. *Minister for Labour. *Electricity Commissioners. *Chief and other Inspectors of Factories.

Alteration of name and transfer of functions

References

External links

Department of Enterprise, Trade and EmploymentStructure of the Department

Spending by the Department
{{authority control Enterprise, Trade and Employmen

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Labour in the Republic of Ireland Economy of the Republic of Ireland Ireland, Enterprise, Trade and Employmen 1919 establishments in Ireland