Minister for Transport (Ireland)
| Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Appointer | President of Ireland on the nomination of the Taoiseach |
| Inaugural holder | Erskine H. Childers as Minister for Transport and Power |
| Formation | 27 July 1959 |
| Website | www |
The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (Template:Lang-ga) is the senior minister at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in the Government of Ireland.
The current Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport is Shane Ross, TD. He is assisted by:
- Patrick O'Donovan, TD – Minister of State for Tourism and Sport
- TBA, TD – Minister of State for Rural Economic Development and Rural Transport
Overview
The Minister and the Department are responsible for implementing an integrated transport policy. The integrated policy will be designed as far as possible to overcome existing delays, bottlenecks and congestion and to provide the consumer with greater choice by offering alternative modes of transport. Through the integrated approach the Department will develop and implement policies designed to improve regional balance, and reduce rural isolation and social exclusion.
Specific responsibilities which come under the aegis of the Minister for Transport in relation to national roads and to road transport in general include: delivering on the national roads programme as part of the national development plan; implementing the Government's roads safety strategy and related policies for the regulation of vehicle standards; road haulage licensing; driver licensing; and driver testing.
In respect of aviation policy, the Department is responsible for ensuring that aviation practices and procedures comply with best international standards; promoting the development of a vibrant, competitive and progressively regulated aviation sector and the provision of adequate airport infrastructure and competitive airport services.
In respect of Maritime Transport, the Department is responsible for establishing, promoting, regulating and enforcing Maritime Safety and Security Standards, providing emergency response services and safeguarding the Maritime Environment. It is also responsible for ports and shipping policy.
In 1991 the functions of the Minister for Communications were transferred to the Minister for Transport. In January 2006 several areas relating to the Marine were moved to the Department of Transport from the then Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. These included the Irish Coast Guard, Marine Survey Office (MSO), Aids to Navigation Section and the Marine Environment Division.
List of office-holders
Minister for Transport and Power 1959–1977 | |||||
| No. | Name | Term of office | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Erskine H. Childers | 27 July 1959 | 2 July 1969 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 2. | Brian Lenihan | 2 July 1969 | 3 January 1973 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 3. | Michael O'Kennedy | 3 January 1973 | 14 March 1973 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 4. | Peter Barry | 14 March 1973 | 2 December 1976 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| 5. | Tom Fitzpatrick | 2 December 1976 | 5 July 1977 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| 6. | Pádraig Faulkner | 5 July 1977 | 12 July 1977 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
Minister for Tourism and Transport 1977–1980 | |||||
| No. | Name | Term of office | Party | ||
| Pádraig Faulkner | 12 July 1977 | 11 December 1979 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | |
| 7. | George Colley | 12 December 1979 | 25 January 1980 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
Minister for Transport 1980–1987 | |||||
| No. | Name | Term of office | Party | ||
| 8. | Albert Reynolds | 25 January 1980 | 30 June 1981 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 9. | Patrick Cooney | 30 June 1981 | 9 March 1982 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| 10. | John Wilson (1st time) | 9 March 1982 | 14 December 1982 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 11. | Jim Mitchell | 14 December 1982 | 10 March 1987 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
Minister for Tourism and Transport 1987–1991 | |||||
| No. | Name | Term of office | Party | ||
| 12. | Ray MacSharry | 20 March 1987 | 31 March 1987 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| John Wilson (2nd time) | 31 March 1987 | 12 July 1989 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | |
| 13. | Séamus Brennan (1st time) | 12 July 1989 | 7 February 1991 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communication 1991–1993 | |||||
| No. | Name | Term of office | Party | ||
| Séamus Brennan (1st time) | 7 February 1991 | 11 February 1992 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | |
| 14. | Máire Geoghegan-Quinn | 11 February 1992 | 12 January 1993 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 15. | Charlie McCreevy | 12 January 1993 | 22 January 1993 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
Minister for Transport, Energy and Communication 1993–1997 | |||||
| No. | Name | Term of office | Party | ||
| 16. | Brian Cowen | 22 January 1993 | 15 December 1994 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 17. | Michael Lowry | 15 December 1994 | 30 November 1996 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| 18. | John Bruton (acting) | 30 November 1996 | 3 December 1996 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| 19. | Alan Dukes | 3 December 1996 | 26 June 1997 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| 20. | Mary O'Rourke | 26 June 1997 | 12 July 1997 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
Minister for Public Enterprise 1997–2002 | |||||
| No. | Name | Term of office | Party | ||
| Mary O'Rourke | 12 July 1997 | 6 June 2002 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | |
Minister for Transport 2002–2011 | |||||
| No. | Name | Term of office | Party | ||
| Séamus Brennan (2nd time) | 6 June 2002 | 29 September 2004 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil | |
| 21. | Martin Cullen | 29 September 2004 | 14 June 2007 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 22. | Noel Dempsey | 14 June 2007 | 19 January 2011 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
| 23. | Pat Carey | 20 January 2011 | 8 March 2011 | style="background-color: Template:Fianna Fáil/meta/color" | | Fianna Fáil |
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport 2011–present | |||||
| No. | Name | Entered Office | Left Office | Party | |
| 24. | Leo Varadkar | 9 March 2011 | 11 July 2014 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| 25. | Paschal Donohoe | 11 July 2014 | 6 May 2016 | style="background-color: Template:Fine Gael/meta/color" | | Fine Gael |
| 26. | Shane Ross | 6 May 2016 | Incumbent | Independent | |