The minister for finance () is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland. The minister for finance leads the Department of Finance and is responsible for all financial and monetary matters of the state; and is considered the second most important member of the Government of Ireland, after the Taoiseach.
The current office holder is Simon Harris, TD; he is assisted by one minister of state, Robert Troy, TD.
Overview
The minister for finance holds the second most important ministerial position in the Irish Cabinet after that of the Taoiseach. The minister is responsible for all financial matters in Ireland. For this reason, the minister for finance is one of three positions in the government which the Constitution requires to be held by a member of Dáil Éireann, the other two being Taoiseach and Tánaiste. Ministers for finance who later became Taoiseach include Jack Lynch, Charles Haughey, Albert Reynolds, John Bruton, Bertie Ahern, and Brian Cowen.
The department and minister are occasionally called the Irish Exchequer (or simply the Exchequer), a term previously used under the Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland (disestablished in 1817).
Budget One of the most important aspects of the minister's work is the creation of the annual budget which is delivered to the Dáil in a speech, which must be given before 15 October due to the Two-Pack agreement. In the budget, the minister details the government's spending programme for the coming year. The budget consists of: a financial statement to the Dáil, Budgetary measures (a list of budgetary changes detailing the cost/yield of same), Budget statistics, and financial resolutions.
Minister for Finance since 1919
NameTerm of officePartyGovernment(s)Eoin MacNeill22 January 19191 April 1919 1st DMMichael Collins2 April 191922 August 1922 2nd DM3rd DM4th DM1st PGW. T. Cosgrave 17 July 192221 September 1923Pro-Treaty Sinn Féin1st PG2nd PG5th DM1st ECErnest Blythe21 September 19239 March 1932 2nd EC3rd EC4th EC5th ECSeán MacEntee9 March 193216 September 1939 6th EC7th EC8th EC1st2ndSeán T. O'Kelly16 September 193914 June 1945 2nd3rd4thFrank Aiken19 June 194518 February 1948 4thPatrick McGilligan18 February 194813 June 1951 5thSeán MacEntee13 June 19512 June 1954 6thGerard Sweetman2 June 195420 March 1957 7thJames Ryan20 March 195721 April 1965 8th9th10thJack Lynch21 April 196510 November 1966 11thCharles Haughey10 November 19667 May 1970 12th13thGeorge Colley9 May 197014 March 1973 13thRichie Ryan14 March 19735 July 1977 14thGeorge Colley5 July 197711 December 1979 15thMichael O'Kennedy12 December 197916 December 1980 16thGene Fitzgerald16 December 198030 June 1981 16thJohn Bruton30 June 19819 March 1982 17thRay MacSharry9 March 198214 December 1982 18thAlan Dukes14 December 198214 February 1986 19thJohn Bruton14 February 198610 March 1987 19thRay MacSharry10 March 198724 November 1988 20thAlbert Reynolds24 November 19887 November 1991 20th21stCharles Haughey 7 November 199114 November 1991 21stBertie Ahern14 November 199115 December 1994 21st22nd23rdRuairi Quinn15 December 199426 June 1997 24thCharlie McCreevy26 June 199729 September 2004 25th26thBrian Cowen29 September 20047 May 2008 26th27thBrian Lenihan7 May 20089 March 2011 28thMichael Noonan9 March 201114 June 2017 29th30thPaschal Donohoe14 June 201717 December 2022 31st32ndMichael McGrath17 December 202226 June 2024 33rd34thJack Chambers26 June 202423 January 2025 34thPaschal Donohoe23 January 202518 November 2025 35thSimon Harris18 November 2025Incumbent 35th Notes
See also National Lottery Revenue Commissioners
References
External links