Department of Transport (Ireland)

The Department of Transport (Irish: An Roinn Iompair) is a department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for transport policy and overseeing transport services and infrastructure. The department is led by the Minister for Transport.

Department of Transport

Department overview
Formed	1 November 1973
Jurisdiction	Government of Ireland
Headquarters	Leeson Lane, Dublin 53°20′30″N 6°15′18″W
Minister responsible	Darragh O'Brien, Minister for Transport
Department executive	Ken Spratt, Secretary General
Website	Official website

Departmental team

Department headquarters

The official headquarters and ministerial offices of the department are in Leeson Lane, Dublin.^[1] It also has offices in Killarney and Loughrea.^[2] The departmental team consists of the following:

• Minister for Transport: Darragh O'Brien, TD
  • Minister of State for International and road transport, logistics, rail and ports: Seán Canney, TD
  • Minister of State for Rural transport: Jerry Buttimer, TD
• Secretary General of the Department: Ken Spratt^[3]

Affiliated bodies

State Agencies

Among the State Agencies that report to, are appointed by the Minister, or are otherwise affiliated to the department are:

• National Transport Authority
• Road Safety Authority
• Transport Infrastructure Ireland
• Irish Aviation Authority
• Irish Coast Guard
• Commission for Aviation Regulation
• Air Accident Investigation Unit

State-sponsored bodies

Among the state-sponsored bodies sponsored by the Minister are:

• Córas Iompair Éireann and its subsidiaries.
• Dublin Airport Authority and the shadow Cork authorities.
• Dublin Port Company

History

Department of
Transport and Power

Department overview
Formed	27 July 1959
Preceding Department	Department of Industry and Commerce
Dissolved	2 January 1984
Superseding Department	Department of Communications
Jurisdiction	Ireland
Minister responsible	Minister for Transport and Power
Department executive	Secretary General

Department of Transport offices in Shannon, County Clare

The Department of Transport and Power was created by the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1959 with Erskine H. Childers as its first minister.^[4] Thekla Beere was appointed as the Secretary of the Department in that year, making it the first government department to be led by a woman. On 2 January 1984, the Department of Transport was abolished under the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1983.

Date	Effect
27 July 1959	Establishment of the Department of Transport and Power[5]
27 July 1959	Transfer of Transport, Fuel and Power from the Department of Industry and Commerce[6]
13 September 1977	Transfer of Energy to the Department of Industry and Commerce[7]
23 September 1977	Renamed as the Department of Tourism and Transport[8]
25 January 1980	Transfer of Tourism to the Department of Industry, Commerce and Tourism[9]
25 January 1980	Renamed as the Department of Transport[10]
2 January 1984	Department abolished and functions transferred to the Department of Communications[11][12][13]

The Department of the Public Service was created in 1973.^[14] Throughout most of the period of this ministerial title, it was held by a minister who also had another ministerial role. In 1987, at the formation of the 20th government, the substantive functions of the Department of the Public Service were transferred to the Department of Finance, and the Department of the Public Service was renamed as the Department of Tourism and Transport; therefore, the current Department of Transport is formally a successor to the Department of the Public Service established in 1973.^[15]

Alteration of name and transfer of functions

Date	Effect
1 November 1973	Establishment of the Department of the Public Service[16]
1 November 1973	Transfer of Public Service from the Department of Finance[17]
19 March 1987	Transfer of Public Service to the Department of Finance[18]
20 March 1987	Renamed as the Department of Tourism and Transport[19]
31 March 1987	Transfer of Transport from the Department of Communications[20]
31 March 1987	Transfer of Tourism from the Department of the Marine[21]
7 February 1991	Renamed as the Department of Tourism, Transport and Communications[22]
6 February 1991	Transfer of Communications from the Department of Communications[23]
20 January 1993	Transfer of Broadcasting to the Department of the Gaeltacht[24]
20 January 1993	Transfer of Tourism to the Department of Energy[25]
21 January 1993	Transfer of Energy from the Department of Energy[26]
22 January 1993	Renamed as the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications[27]
12 July 1997	Renamed as the Department of Public Enterprise[28]
15 July 1997	Transfer of Mining to the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources[29]
18 June 2002	Transfer of Roads from the Department of the Environment and Local Government[30]
18 June 2002	Transfer of Communications and Energy to the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources[31]
19 June 2002	Renamed as the Department of Transport[32]
1 April 2011	Transfer of Tourism and Sport from the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport[33]
2 April 2011	Renamed as the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport[34]
1 June 2011	Transfer of Tourism and Sport from the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport[35]
14 January 2015	Transfer of Worker Participation to the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources[36]
1 January 2018	Transfer of Motor Tax from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government[37]
16 September 2020	Transfer of Tourism and Sport to the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht[38]
17 September 2020	Renamed as the Department of Transport[39]
28 February 2023	Transfer of Renewable transport fuel from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications[40]

See also

• Ireland portal
• Transport portal
• Sport portal

• Driving licence in the Republic of Ireland