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The Government (Irish: Rialtas) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in the Republic of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach, and a deputy prime minister called the Tánaiste. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President after being designated by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of parliament). The President then appoints the remaining Ministers of the Government after they have been chosen by the Taoiseach and approved by the Dáil. The Government must enjoy the confidence of the Dáil if it is to remain in office.

Overview

Unlike many other republican constitutions, the Constitution of Ireland does not make the President even the nominal chief executive officer, but rather explicitly vests executive authority in the cabinet. The Government is therefore not referred to as His or Her Excellency's Government. Under the constitution the Government must consist of between seven and fifteen members. Every member of the Government must be a member of the Oireachtas (parliament), and no more than two members may be chosen from the Senate; the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister of Finance must all be members of the Dáil.

The Government is advised by the Attorney-General who is not formally a member of the Government but participates in its meetings. Similarly the Chief Whip may also attend meetings of the Government but is not a part of it. Members of the Government are also assisted by Ministers of State who are nonetheless not part of the Government and do not take part in its meetings.

In the event that the Taoiseach ceases "to retain the support of a majority in Dáil Éireann" there must either be a dissolution of the Dáil or the Taoiseach must resignTemplate:Fn. The President may, however, refuse to grant a dissolution to a Taoiseach who does not enjoy the support of the Dáil, and thus force their resignation. When the Taoiseach resigns, the entire Government is deemed to have vacated office collectively. The Taoiseach can also direct the President to dismiss or accept the resignation of individual ministers. In any circumstance in which the Taoiseach or Government have been removed from office, however, they continue to exercise their powers until a successor, or successors, have been appointed. The executive authority of the Government is subject to certain limitations. In particular:

• The state may not declare war, or participate in a war, without the consent of Dáil Éireann.
• Treaties must be ratified by the Dáil.
• The Government must act in accordance with the constitution.

If the Government fails to fulfill its constitutional duties, it may be ordered to do so by a court of law, by writ of mandamus. Ministers who fail to comply may, ultimately, be found to be in contempt of court, and even imprisoned.

Origins

The Government was created by the 1937 Constitution of Ireland; the Ministers and Secretaries Act, 1924 and amendments, contains the detailed provisions regarding status and functions of the Government in generalTemplate:Fn. The Government was preceded by the Executive Council of the 1922-1937 Irish Free State.

One notable aspect of the Irish system is that ministers are 'corporations sole' - the department does not exist as a legal entity separate to the minister. This leads to the oft quoted phrase in correspondence with Government departments - "the Minister has directed me to write" - on many letters or documents that the minister in question may in fact have never seen.

A number of Government minister positions no longer exist, as distinct from renaming which occurs frequently, their powers are transferred to other ministers - these "defunct" ministers are: Communications, Labour, Posts & Telegraphs, Public Service and Supplies. The office of Minister without portfolio has also being held several times, but not since 1977.

Since the 1990s, all Governments have consisted of coalitions of two or more parties, although coalitions existed intermittently before this. Nowadays, the position of Tánaiste is always held by the leader of the smaller of the two largest coalition government partners.

The 26th Government (2002-present)

The current Cabinet (as of February 3, 2006) consists of:

Public sector

The Government, through the civil and public services and semi-state bodies, is a significant employer in the state; these three sectors are often called the public sector. Management of these various bodies vary, for instance in the civil service their will be clearly defined routes and patterns whilst among public services a sponsoring minister or the Minister for Finance may appoint a board or commission. Commercial activities, where the state involves itself, are typically through the state-sponsored bodies.

The most recent report on public sector employmentTemplate:Fn, shows that at June 2005 the numbers employed in the public service stood at 350,100; of these by sector they were 38,700 (civil service), 254,100 (public service) and 57,300 (semi-state). The total workforce of the state was 1,857,400 that year, thus the public sector represents approximately 20% of the total workforce.

Civil service

The civil service of the Republic of Ireland consists of two broad components, the Civil Service of the Government and the Civil Service of the State. Whilst these two components are largely theoretical they do have some fundamental operational differences. The civil service is expected to maintain political impartiality in its work, and some parts of it are entirely independent of Government decision making.

Public service

The public service is a relatively broad term and is not clearly defined and sometimes is taken to include the civil service. The public service proper consists of Government agencies and bodies which provide services on behalf of the Government but are not the core civil service. For instance local authorities, Vocational Education Committees and Garda Siochána are considered to be public services.

List of Governments

See also: Irish cabinets since 1919

Footnotes

• Template:Fnb Constitution of Ireland, Article 28, Section 10.
• Template:Fnb Central Statistics Office Public Sector Employment and Earnings (June 2005)
• Template:Fnb Irish Statute Book [http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1924_16.html Ministers and Secretaries Act, 1924

See also

• Politics of the Republic of Ireland

External link

• Official website - Irish Government

• Politics of the Republic of Ireland
• National cabinets
• Government of the Republic of Ireland