Government of the 31st Dáil

The Government of the 31st Dáil or the 29th Government of Ireland (9 March 2011 – 6 May 2016) was the government of Ireland which was formed following the 2011 general election to Dáil Éireann on 25 February 2011. It was a coalition government of Fine Gael and the Labour Party led by Enda Kenny as Taoiseach. From 2011 to 2014, Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore served as Tánaiste, and from 2014 to 2016, the new Labour leader Joan Burton served as Tánaiste.

Government of the 31st Dáil
29th Government of Ireland
Date formed	9 March 2011
Date dissolved	6 May 2016
People and organisations
President	Mary McAleese (2011) Michael D. Higgins (2011–16)
Taoiseach	Enda Kenny
Tánaiste	Eamon Gilmore (2011–14) Joan Burton (2014–16)
No. of ministers	15
Member parties	Fine Gael Labour Party
Status in legislature	Majority Coalition
Opposition cabinet	First Martin front bench
Opposition party	Fianna Fáil
Opposition leader	Micheál Martin
History
Election(s)	2011 general election
Legislature term(s)	31st Dáil 24th Seanad
Budget(s)	2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Outgoing formation	2016 government formation
Predecessor	28th Government
Successor	30th Government

The 29th Government lasted 1828 days from its appointment until its resignation, and continued to carry out its duties for a further 60 days until the appointment of the successor government.

29th Government of Ireland

Members of the Government of the 31st Dáil

Nomination of Taoiseach

The members of the 31st Dáil first met on 9 March 2011. In the debate on the nomination of Taoisech, only Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny was proposed.[1] This proposal was carried with 117 votes in favour and 27 votes against, the greatest number of votes cast in the Dáil in favour of the nomination of a candidate for Taoiseach. Kenny was then appointed as Taoiseach by president Mary McAleese.[2]

9 March 2011 Nomination of Taoiseach vote for Enda Kenny (FG)[3] Motion proposed by Simon Harris and seconded by Ciara Conway Absolute majority: 84/166
Vote	Parties	Votes
Y Yes	Fine Gael (76), Labour Party (37), Independent (5)	117 / 166
No	Sinn Féin (14), Independent (8), People Before Profit Alliance (2), Socialist Party (2), Workers and Unemployed Action Group (1)	27 / 166
Not voting	Fianna Fáil (20), Ceann Comhairle (1), Independent (1)	22 / 166

Members of the Government

After his appointment by the president, Enda Kenny proposed the members of the government and they were approved by the Dáil.[2][4][5]

Office	Name	Term	Party
Taoiseach	Enda Kenny	2011–16		Fine Gael
Tánaiste	Eamon Gilmore	2011–14		Labour Party
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ireland)[lower-alpha 1]
Minister for Finance	Michael Noonan	2011–16		Fine Gael
Minister for Education and Skills	Ruairi Quinn	2011–14		Labour Party
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform[lower-alpha 2]	Brendan Howlin	2011–16
Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation[lower-alpha 3]	Richard Bruton			Fine Gael
Minister for Social Protection	Joan Burton			Labour Party
Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht[lower-alpha 4]	Jimmy Deenihan	2011–14		Fine Gael
Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources	Pat Rabbitte			Labour Party
Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government[lower-alpha 5]	Phil Hogan			Fine Gael
Minister for Justice and Equality[lower-alpha 6]	Alan Shatter	2011–14
Minister for Defence
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine[lower-alpha 7]	Simon Coveney	2011–16
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs[lower-alpha 8]	Frances Fitzgerald	2011–14
Minister for Health[lower-alpha 9]	James Reilly
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport[lower-alpha 10]	Leo Varadkar
Changes 8 May 2014 Following the resignation of Alan Shatter.[16][17]
Minister for Justice and Equality	Frances Fitzgerald	2014–16		Fine Gael
Minister for Defence	Enda Kenny (acting)	2014
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs	Charles Flanagan	2014
Changes 11 July 2014 A cabinet reshuffle took place following the election of Joan Burton as leader of the Labour Party and the nomination of Phil Hogan as European Commissioner.[18][19]
Tánaiste	Joan Burton	2014–16		Labour Party
Minister for Defence	Simon Coveney			Fine Gael
Minister for Children and Youth Affairs	James Reilly			Fine Gael
Minister for Health	Leo Varadkar			Fine Gael
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade	Charles Flanagan			Fine Gael
Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources	Alex White			Labour Party
Minister for Education and Skills	Jan O'Sullivan			Labour Party
Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government	Alan Kelly			Labour Party
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport	Paschal Donohoe			Fine Gael
Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht	Heather Humphreys			Fine Gael

Changes to departments

1. The Department of Foreign Affairs was renamed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on 2 June 2011.[6]
2. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform was established by the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011 which was enacted on 4 July 2011.[7]
3. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation was renamed the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation on 2 June 2011.[8]
4. The Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport was renamed the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht on 2 June 2011.[9]
5. The Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government was renamed the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government on 2 May 2011.[10]
6. The Department of Justice and Law Reform was renamed the Department of Justice and Equality on 2 April 2011.[11]
7. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was renamed the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on 17 October 2011.[12]
8. The Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs was renamed the Department of Children and Youth Affairs on 2 June 2011.[13]
9. The Department of Health and Children was renamed the Department of Health on 4 June 2011.[14]
10. The Department of Transport was renamed the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport on 2 April 2011.[15]

Attorney General

Máire Whelan SC was appointed as Attorney General by the president on the nomination of the Taoiseach.[2][4]

Ministers of State

On 9 March 2011, Paul Kehoe and Willie Penrose were appointed by the government on the nomination of the Taoiseach as Ministers of State who would attend cabinet without a vote.[2] On 10 March 2011, the government on the nomination of the Taoiseach appointed 13 further Ministers of State.[20][21]

Name	Department(s)	Responsibilities	Party		Term
Paul Kehoe (In attendance at cabinet)	Taoiseach Defence	Government Chief Whip Defence		Fine Gael	2011–2016
Willie Penrose (In attendance at cabinet)	Environment, Community and Local Government	Housing and Planning		Labour Party	2011
Dinny McGinley	Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht	Gaeltacht Affairs		Fine Gael	2011–14
Róisín Shortall	Health	Primary Care		Labour Party	2011–12
John Perry	Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation	Small Business		Fine Gael	2011–14
Michael Ring	Transport, Tourism and Sport	Tourism and Sport		Fine Gael	2011–16
Jan O'Sullivan	Foreign Affairs and Trade	Trade and Development		Labour Party	2011
Kathleen Lynch	Justice and Equality Health	Disability, Equality and Mental Health		Labour Party	2011–14
Fergus O'Dowd	Environment, Community and Local Government Communications, Energy and Natural Resources	NewERA Project[22]		Fine Gael	2011–14
Brian Hayes	Public Expenditure and Reform Finance	Public Service Reform and the Office of Public Works		Fine Gael	2011–14
Shane McEntee	Agriculture, Food and the Marine	Food, Horticulture and Food Safety		Fine Gael	2011–12
Lucinda Creighton	Taoiseach Foreign Affairs and Trade	European Affairs		Fine Gael	2011–13
Seán Sherlock	Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Education and Skills	Research and Innovation		Labour Party	2011–14
Ciarán Cannon	Education and Skills	Training and Skills		Fine Gael	2011–14
Alan Kelly	Transport, Tourism and Sport	Public and Commuter Transport		Labour Party	2011–14
Change on 20 December 2011 Following the resignation of Willie Penrose on 15 November 2011.
Jan O'Sullivan (In attendance at cabinet)	Environment, Community and Local Government	Housing and Planning		Labour Party	2011–14
Joe Costello	Foreign Affairs and Trade	Trade and Development		Labour Party	2011–14
Change on 2 October 2012 Following the resignation of Róisín Shortall on 26 September 2012.[23][24]
Alex White	Health	Primary Care		Labour Party	2012–14
Change on 5 June 2013 Following the death of Shane McEntee on 21 December 2012.[25]
Tom Hayes	Agriculture, Food and the Marine	Food, Horticulture and Food Safety		Fine Gael	2013–16
Change on 12 July 2013 Following the resignation of Lucinda Creighton on 11 July 2013.[26]
Paschal Donohoe	Taoiseach Foreign Affairs and Trade	European Affairs		Fine Gael	2013–14
Change on 15 July 2014 Following the cabinet reshuffle in July 2014.[19][27]
Ged Nash (In attendance at cabinet)	Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation	Business and Employment		Labour Party	2014–16
Jimmy Deenihan	Taoiseach Foreign Affairs and Trade	Diaspora		Fine Gael	2014–16
Kathleen Lynch	Health	Primary Care, Mental Health and Disability		Labour Party	2014–16
Seán Sherlock	Foreign Affairs and Trade	Overseas Development Assistance, Trade Promotion and North/South Cooperation		Labour Party	2014–16
Damien English	Education and Skills Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation	Skills, Research and Innovation		Fine Gael	2014–16
Joe McHugh	Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Communications, Energy and Natural Resources	Gaeltacht Affairs and Natural Resources		Fine Gael	2014–16
Paudie Coffey	Environment, Community and Local Government	Housing, Planning and Construction 2020 Strategy		Fine Gael	2014–16
Simon Harris	Finance Public Expenditure and Reform Taoiseach	Office of Public Works, Public Procurement and International Banking		Fine Gael	2014–16
Kevin Humphreys	Social Protection	Employment, Community and Social Support		Labour Party	2014–16
Dara Murphy	Taoiseach Foreign Affairs and Trade	European Affairs and Data Protection		Fine Gael	2014–16
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin	Justice and Equality Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht	New Communities, Culture and Equality		Labour Party	2014–16
Ann Phelan	Agriculture, Food and the Marine Transport, Tourism and Sport	Rural Economic Development and Rural Transport		Labour Party	2014–16

Economic Management Council

The Economic Management Council was a cabinet subcommittee of senior ministers formed to co-ordinate the response to the Irish financial crisis and the government's dealings with the troika of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.[28] Its members were the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister for Finance, and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.[29] It was supported by the Department of the Taoiseach, led by Dermot McCarthy.[28][30] Brigid Laffan compared it to a war cabinet.[31] Opposition parties suggested the Council represented a dangerous concentration of power.[32]

Following the formation of a government in 2016, Shane Ross, a member of the Government of the 32nd Dáil, confirmed in the Dáil that the subcommittee would not form part of the new government. Ross told the Dáil on 6 May 2016: "I had a conversation last night with the Taoiseach. I was talking to him about Dáil reform and I asked him about an issue - a last point I had forgotten to ask about earlier - which was the abolition of the Economic Management Council. I thought it was going to be like one of these thorny topics which we had been through over the last few weeks. He told me okay, it is gone, that it had been needed for a particular time and it is not needed any more and I was to consider it gone. To me that was very encouraging because it meant that one of those obstacles to Dáil reform, one of those rather secretive bodies that had dictated to the Cabinet and to the Dáil the agenda of what came out to the country, was now a thing of the past."[33]

Dissolution and resignation

On 3 February 2016, Taoiseach Enda Kenny sought a dissolution of the Dáil which was granted by the president, with the new Dáil to convene on 10 March.[34] The general election took place on 26 February.

The members of the 32nd Dáil first met on 10 March. Enda Kenny, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, and Richard Boyd Barrett of the Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit were each proposed for nomination as Taoiseach. None of the four motions were successful.[35] Kenny announced that he would resign as Taoiseach but that under the provisions of Article 28.11 of the Constitution, the government would continue to carry out their duties until their successors were appointed.[36] Kenny continued in this capacity until 6 May 2016, when he was again nominated for the appointment by the president to the position of Taoiseach and formed the 30th Government of Ireland.

See also

• Politics of the Republic of Ireland

References

1. "Nomination of Taoiseach – Dáil Éireann (31st Dáil) – Wednesday, 9 March 2011". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
2. "Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government – Dáil Éireann (32nd Dáil) - Wednesday, 9 March 2011". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
3. "Nomination of Taoiseach – Votes – Dáil Éireann (31st Dáil) - Wednesday, 9 March 2011". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
4. "Appointment of Ministers and Ministers of State – Dáil Éireann (31st Dáil) – Tuesday, 15 March 2011". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
5. "Enda Kenny reveals new Cabinet". RTÉ News. 9 March 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
6. "Foreign Affairs (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2011". Irish Statute Book. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
7. "Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011". Irish Statute Book. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
8. "Enterprise, Trade and Innovation (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2011". Irish Statute Book. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
9. "Tourism, Culture and Sport (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2011". Irish Statute Book. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
10. "Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2011". Irish Statute Book. 19 April 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
11. "Justice and Law Reform (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2011". Irish Statute Book. 29 March 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
12. "Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2011". Irish Statute Book. 8 September 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
13. "Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2011". Irish Statute Book. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
14. "Health (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2011". Irish Statute Book. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
15. "Transport (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2011". Irish Statute Book. 29 March 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
16. "Nomination of Member of Government: Motion – Dáil Éireann (31st Dáil) – Thursday, 8 May 2014". Oireachtas. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
17. "Appointment of Ministers – Dáil Éireann (31st Dáil) – Tuesday, 13 May 2014". Oireachtas. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
18. "Nomination of Members of the Government: Motion – Dáil Éireann (31st Dáil) – Friday, 11 July 2014". Oireachtas. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
19. "Appointment of Ministers of State – Dáil Éireann (31st Dáil) – Tuesday, 15 July 2014". Oireachtas. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
20. "Government appoints Ministers of State". MerrionStreet.ie. 10 March 2011.
21. "Appointment of Ministers and Ministers of State – Dáil Éireann (31st Dáil) – Tuesday, 15 March 2011". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
22. Government economic stimulus plan
23. "Resignation of Minister of State: Statement – Dáil Éireann (31st Dáil) – Thursday, 27 September 2012". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
24. "Ministerial Appointment: Announcement by Taoiseach – Dáil Éireann (31st Dáil) – Tuesday, 2 October 2012". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
25. "Appointment of Minister of State – Dáil Éireann (31st Dáil) – Tuesday, 11 June 2013". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
26. "Appointment of Minister of State: Announcement by Taoiseach – Dáil Éireann (31st Dáil) – Tuesday, 16 July 2013". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
27. "New Ministers of State Appointed". MerrionStreet.ie. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
28. State's most senior civil servant to step down
29. "Economic Management Council". Department of the Taoiseach. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
30. "Cabinet Committee Meetings". Dáil debates. Oireachtas. 24 September 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
31. Laffan, Brigid (28 August 2013). "Economic Management Council acts as a 'war cabinet' in Ireland's fight for survival". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
32. "Martin queries constitutionality of Economic Management Council". RTÉ News. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
33. "Appointment of Taoiseach and Nomination of Members of Government: Motion (Continued) – Dáil Éireann (32nd Dáil) – Friday, 6 May 2016". Oireachtas. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
34. "Advice to Dissolve Dáil: Announcement – Dáil Éireann (31st Dáil) – Wednesday, 3 February 2016". Oireachtas. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
35. "Nomination of Taoiseach – Dáil Éireann (32nd Dáil) – Thursday, 10 March 2016". Houses of the Oireachtas. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
36. Constitution of Ireland, Article 28.11