Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration
(Redirected from Minister for Justice (Ireland))
| Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration | |
|---|---|
 | |
_(cropped).jpg) | |
| Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration | |
| Type | |
| Status | Cabinet minister |
| Member of | |
| Reports to | Taoiseach |
| Seat | Dublin, Ireland |
| Nominator | Taoiseach |
| Appointer | President of Ireland (on the advice of the Taoiseach) |
| Inaugural holder | Michael Collins as Minister for Home Affairs |
| Formation | 22 January 1919 |
| Salary | €210,750 (2025) (including €115,953 TD salary)[1] |
| Website | Official website  |
The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Irish: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt, Gnóthaí Baile agus Imirce)[2] is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has overall responsibility for law and order in Ireland.[3]
The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration since January 2025[update] is Jim O'Callaghan, TD.[4]
He is assisted by two Ministers of State:
- Niall Collins, TD – Minister of State for International law, law reform and youth justice
- Colm Brophy, TD – Minister of State for Migration
History
[edit]From 1919 until 1924 the position was known as the Minister for Home Affairs.[5] It was renamed as the Minister for Justice under the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924.[6] The title has been altered a number of times since 1997, with its current title dating from 2025.
Overview
[edit]The Minister's main areas of responsibility include:[7]
- 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
[edit] Denotes acting Minister
Minister for Home Affairs 1919–1924[edit] | |||||
| Name | Term of office | Party | Government(s)[a] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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[b] | 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[edit] | |||||
| Name | Term of office | Party | Government(s) | ||
| Kevin O'Higgins | 2 June 1924 | 10 July 1927 | Cumann na nGaedheal | 2nd EC • 3rd EC | |
| W. T. Cosgrave[c] | 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[d] | 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 | |
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform 1997–2010[edit] | |||||
| Name | Term of office | Party | Government(s) | ||
| John O'Donoghue | 26 June 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[edit] | |||||
| Name | Term of office | Party | Government(s) | ||
| Dermot Ahern | 23 March 2010 | 19 January 2011 | Fianna Fáil | 28th | |
| Brendan Smith[e] | 20 January 2011 | 9 March 2011 | Fianna Fáil | 28th | |
Minister for Justice and Equality 2011–2020[edit] | |||||
| Name | Term of office | Party | Government(s) | ||
| Alan Shatter[f] | 9 March 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 | |
Minister for Justice 2020–2025[edit] | |||||
| Name | Term of office | Party | Government(s) | ||
| Helen McEntee | 27 June 2020 | 27 April 2021 | Fine Gael | 32nd | |
| Heather Humphreys[g] | 27 April 2021 | 1 November 2021 | Fine Gael | ||
| Helen McEntee[h] | 1 November 2021 | 25 November 2022 | Fine Gael | ||
| Heather Humphreys[g] | 25 November 2022 | 17 December 2022 | Fine Gael | ||
| Simon Harris[i] | 17 December 2022 | 1 June 2023 | Fine Gael | 33rd | |
| Helen McEntee | 1 June 2023 | 23 January 2025 | Fine Gael | 33rd • 34th | |
Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration 2025–present[edit] | |||||
| Name | Term of office | Party | Government(s) | ||
| Jim O'Callaghan | 23 January 2025 | Incumbent | Fianna Fáil | 35th | |
- 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.
- ^ Also Minister for Defence.
- ^ a b 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.[8][9]
- ^ Also Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
References
[edit]- ^ "Salaries". Houses of the Oireachtas. 3 March 2025.
- ^ Justice (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2025 (S.I. No. 242 of 2025). Signed on 4 June 2025. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
- ^ "Minister for Justice". Government of Ireland. 19 November 2020. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ "Government Ministers". Government of Ireland (gov.ie). Department of the Taoiseach.
- ^ "An early history of the Department". Department of Justice.
- ^ Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, Schedule: Tenth Part: Ministers named in former Acts (No. 16 of 1924, Schedule). Enacted on 21 April 1924. Act of the Oireachtas. Archived from the original on 8 February 2020. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 25 August 2020.
- ^ "Justice - What We Do". Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.
- ^ "Ministerial Responsibilities". Dáil Debates. 1006 (2). 28 April 2021. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Statement by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee". Department of Justice. 11 March 2021. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.