Minister for Justice (Ireland)
# Minister for Justice (Ireland)

The Minister for Justice (Irish: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt) is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Justice. The Minister for Justice has overall responsibility for law and order in Ireland.

The current Minister for Justice is Helen McEntee, TD. McEntee is assisted by a Minister of State:

## History

From 1919 until 1924 the position was known as the Minister for Home Affairs. In 1997, the functions of the Minister for Equality and Law Reform were transferred to this Minister, and it was renamed as the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, a title which it retained until 2010. The minister held the title of Minister for Justice and Equality from 2011 to 2020. As of 2020, the position is known as Minister for Justice. This followed a transfer of functions to the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

## Overview

The Minister's main areas of responsibility include:

* Implementing government policy and proposing new policy on crime, immigration, asylum, criminal and civil law reform and the criminal justice system in general.
* Implementation of government policy and proposing new policy in relation to national security (an area many countries assign to a separate 'Home' or 'Homeland Security' minister)
* Control and reform of the Garda Síochána
* Pardons (which are formally given by the President on the binding "advice" of the government, after proposal by the Minister for Justice - a rarely used power)
* Implementation of core elements of the Good Friday Agreement.

## List of office-holders

Minister for Home Affairs 1919–1924 :

| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government(s) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Michael Collins | 22 January 1919 | 1 April 1919 | | Sinn Féin | 1st DM |
| Arthur Griffith | 2 April 1919 | 22 August 1921 | | Sinn Féin | 2nd DM |
| Austin Stack | 22 August 1921 | 9 January 1922 | | Sinn Féin | 3rd DM |
| Eamonn Duggan | 10 January 1922 | 9 September 1922 | | Sinn Féin (Pro-Treaty) | 4th DM • 1st PG |
| Kevin O'Higgins | 30 August 1922 | 2 June 1924 | | Cumann na nGaedheal | 2nd PG • 5th DM • 1st EC • 2nd EC |
| Minister for Justice 1924–1997 ||||||
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government(s) |
| Kevin O'Higgins | 2 June 1924 | 10 July 1927 | | Cumann na nGaedheal | 2nd EC • 3rd EC |
| W. T. Cosgrave | 10 July 1927 | 12 October 1927 | | Cumann na nGaedheal | 3rd EC |
| James FitzGerald-Kenney | 12 October 1927 | 9 March 1932 | | Cumann na nGaedheal | 4th EC • 5th EC |
| James Geoghegan | 9 March 1932 | 8 February 1933 | | Fianna Fáil | 6th EC |
| P. J. Ruttledge | 8 February 1933 | 8 September 1939 | | Fianna Fáil | 7th EC • 8th EC • 1st • 2nd |
| Gerald Boland (1st time) | 8 September 1939 | 18 February 1948 | | Fianna Fáil | 2nd • 3rd • 4th |
| Seán Mac Eoin | 18 February 1948 | 7 March 1951 | | Fine Gael | 5th |
| Daniel Morrissey | 7 March 1951 | 13 June 1951 | | Fine Gael | 5th |
| Gerald Boland (2nd time) | 13 June 1951 | 2 June 1954 | | Fianna Fáil | 6th |
| James Everett | 2 June 1954 | 20 March 1957 | | Labour | 7th |
| Oscar Traynor | 20 March 1957 | 11 October 1961 | | Fianna Fáil | 8th • 9th |
| Charles Haughey | 11 October 1961 | 8 October 1964 | | Fianna Fáil | 10th |
| Seán Lemass (acting) | 8 October 1964 | 3 November 1964 | | Fianna Fáil | 10th |
| Brian Lenihan Snr | 3 November 1964 | 26 March 1968 | | Fianna Fáil | 10th • 11th • 12th |
| Mícheál Ó Móráin | 27 March 1968 | 5 May 1970 | | Fianna Fáil | 12th • 13th |
| Desmond O'Malley | 5 May 1970 | 14 March 1973 | | Fianna Fáil | 13th |
| Patrick Cooney | 14 March 1973 | 5 July 1977 | | Fine Gael | 14th |
| Gerry Collins (1st time) | 5 July 1977 | 30 June 1981 | | Fianna Fáil | 15th • 16th |
| Jim Mitchell | 30 June 1981 | 9 March 1982 | | Fine Gael | 17th |
| Seán Doherty | 9 March 1982 | 14 December 1982 | | Fianna Fáil | 18th |
| Michael Noonan | 14 December 1982 | 14 February 1986 | | Fine Gael | 19th |
| Alan Dukes | 14 February 1986 | 10 March 1987 | | Fine Gael | 19th |
| Gerry Collins (2nd time) | 10 March 1987 | 12 July 1989 | | Fianna Fáil | 20th |
| Ray Burke | 12 July 1989 | 11 February 1992 | | Fianna Fáil | 21st |
| Pádraig Flynn | 11 February 1992 | 4 January 1993 | | Fianna Fáil | 22nd |
| Máire Geoghegan-Quinn | 4 January 1993 | 15 December 1994 | | Fianna Fáil | 23rd |
| Nora Owen | 15 December 1994 | 26 June 1997 | | Fine Gael | 24th |
| John O'Donoghue | 26 June 1997 | 8 July 1997 | | Fianna Fáil | 25th |
| Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform 1997–2010 ||||||
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government(s) |
| John O'Donoghue | 8 July 1997 | 6 June 2002 | | Fianna Fáil | 25th |
| Michael McDowell | 6 June 2002 | 14 June 2007 | | Progressive Democrats | 26th |
| Brian Lenihan Jnr | 14 June 2007 | 7 May 2008 | | Fianna Fáil | 27th |
| Dermot Ahern | 7 May 2008 | 23 March 2010 | | Fianna Fáil | 28th |
| Minister for Justice and Law Reform 2010–2011 ||||||
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government(s) |
| Dermot Ahern | 23 March 2010 | 19 January 2011 | | Fianna Fáil | 28th |
| Brendan Smith | 20 January 2011 | 9 March 2011 | | Fianna Fáil | 28th |
| Alan Shatter | 9 March 2011 | 2 April 2011 | | Fine Gael | 29th |
| Minister for Justice and Equality 2011–2020 ||||||
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government(s) |
| Alan Shatter | 2 April 2011 | 7 May 2014 | | Fine Gael | 29th |
| Frances Fitzgerald | 8 May 2014 | 14 June 2017 | | Fine Gael | 29th • 30th |
| Charles Flanagan | 14 June 2017 | 27 June 2020 | | Fine Gael | 31st |
| Helen McEntee | 27 June 2020 | 1 November 2020 | | Fine Gael | 32nd |
| Minister for Justice 2020–present ||||||
| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Party | Party | Government(s) |
| Helen McEntee | 1 November 2020 | 27 April 2021 | | Fine Gael | 32nd |
| Heather Humphreys | 27 April 2021 | 1 November 2021 | | Fine Gael | 32nd |
| Helen McEntee | 1 November 2021 | 25 November 2022 | | Fine Gael | 32nd |
| Heather Humphreys | 25 November 2022 | 17 December 2022 | | Fine Gael | 32nd |
| Simon Harris | 17 December 2022 | 1 June 2023 | | Fine Gael | 33rd |
| Helen McEntee | 1 June 2023 | Incumbent | | Fine Gael | 33rd |

### Notes

* ↑ Before 1937: DM – Dáil Ministry; PG – Provisional Government; EC – Executive Council.
* ↑ Austin Stack held the title of Secretary of State for Home Affairs.
* ↑ Also President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State.
* ↑ Also Minister for Communications from 31 March 1987 to 6 February 1991.
* ↑ Also Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
* 1 2 Also Minister for Defence.
* 1 2 Also Minister for Social Protection and Minister for Rural and Community Development.
* ↑ On maternity leave from 27 April 2021 to 1 November 2021, and again from 25 November 2022 to 1 June 2023.
* ↑ Also Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
