Minister for Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands (Ireland)
| Minister for Social Protection | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Appointer | President of Ireland on the nomination of the Taoiseach |
| Inaugural holder | James Ryan as Minister for Social Welfare |
| Formation | 22 January 1947 |
| Website | www |
The Minister for Social Protection (Template:Lang-ga) is the senior minister at the Department of Social Protection in the Government of Ireland.
The current Minister for Social Protection is Leo Varadkar, TD. He is assisted by:
- Finian McGrath, TD – Minister of State for Disability Issues
- TBA, TD – Minister of State for Employment, Community and Social Support
Overview
The Department was formed in 1947 as the Department of Social Welfare. Its present title dates from 23 March 2010. The Department formulates appropriate social protection policies and administers and manages the delivery of statutory and non-statutory schemes and services. It is also responsible for the delivery of a range of social insurance and social assistance schemes including provision for unemployment, illness, maternity, caring, widowhood, retirement and old age.
List of office-holders
Minister for Social Welfare 1947–1997 | |||||
| No. | Name | Term of office | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | *James Ryan (1st time) | 22 January 1947 | 18 February 1948 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 2. | William Norton | 18 February 1948 | 14 June 1951 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Labour Party |
| *James Ryan (2nd time) | 14 June 1951 | 2 June 1954 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | |
| 3. | Brendan Corish (1st time) | 2 June 1954 | 20 March 1957 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Labour Party |
| 4. | Paddy Smith | 20 March 1957 | 27 November 1957 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 5. | *Seán MacEntee | 27 November 1957 | 12 October 1961 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 6. | Kevin Boland (1st time) | 12 October 1961 | 16 November 1966 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 7. | Joseph Brennan (1st time) | 16 November 1966 | 2 July 1969 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| Kevin Boland (2nd time) | 2 July 1969 | 6 May 1970 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | |
| Joseph Brennan (2nd time) | 6 May 1970 | 14 March 1973 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | |
| *Brendan Corish (2nd time) | 14 March 1973 | 5 July 1977 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Labour Party | |
| 8. | *Charles Haughey | 5 July 1977 | 12 December 1979 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 9. | *Michael Woods (1st time) | 12 December 1979 | 30 June 1981 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 10. | *Eileen Desmond | 30 June 1981 | 9 March 1982 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Labour Party |
| *Michael Woods (2nd time) | 9 March 1982 | 14 December 1982 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | |
| 11. | *Barry Desmond | 14 December 1982 | 14 February 1986 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Labour Party |
| 12. | Gemma Hussey | 14 February 1986 | 10 March 1987 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| Michael Woods (3rd time) | 10 March 1987 | 13 November 1991 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | |
| 13. | Brendan Daly | 13 November 1991 | 11 February 1992 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 14. | Charlie McCreevy | 11 February 1992 | 12 January 1993 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| *Michael Woods (4th time) | 12 January 1993 | 15 December 1994 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | |
| 15. | Proinsias De Rossa | 15 December 1994 | 26 June 1997 | style="background-color: Template:Democratic Left (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Democratic Left |
| 16. | Dermot Ahern | 26 June 1997 | 12 July 1997 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs 1997–2002 | |||||
| No. | Name | Term of office | Party | ||
| Dermot Ahern | 12 July 1997 | 17 June 2002 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | |
Minister for Social and Family Affairs 2002–2010 | |||||
| No. | Name | Term of office | Party | ||
| 17. | Mary Coughlan | 17 June 2002 | 29 September 2004 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 18. | Séamus Brennan | 29 September 2004 | 14 June 2007 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 19. | Martin Cullen | 14 June 2007 | 7 May 2008 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 20. | Mary Hanafin | 7 May 2008 | 23 March 2010 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
Minister for Social Protection 2010–present | |||||
| No. | Name | Term of office | Party | ||
| 21. | Éamon Ó Cuív | 23 March 2010 | 9 March 2011 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 22. | Joan Burton | 9 March 2011 | 6 May 2016 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (Ireland)/meta/color" | | Labour Party |
| 23. | Leo Varadkar | 6 May 2016 | Incumbent | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
An asterisk (*) indicates those ministers who held the Health and Social Welfare portfolios simultaneously.