The minister for social protection () is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Social Protection.
The minister for social protection is Dara Calleary. He is also Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht.
Overview The position was created in 1947 as the minister for social welfare. Its present title dates from 2020. The department formulates appropriate social protection policies and administers and manages the delivery of statutory and non-statutory schemes and services. It is also responsible for the delivery of a range of social insurance and social assistance schemes including provision for unemployment, illness, maternity, caring, widowhood, retirement and old age.
List of office-holders Minister for Social Welfare 1947–1997NameTerm of officePartyGovernment(s)James Ryan(1st time)22 January 194718 February 1948 4thWilliam Norton18 February 194814 June 1951 5thJames Ryan(2nd time)14 June 19512 June 1954 6thBrendan Corish(1st time)2 June 195420 March 1957 7thPaddy Smith20 March 195727 November 1957 8thSeán MacEntee27 November 195712 October 1961 8th9thKevin Boland(1st time)12 October 196116 November 1966 10th11thJoseph Brennan(1st time)16 November 19662 July 1969 12thKevin Boland(2nd time)2 July 19696 May 1970 13thJoseph Brennan(2nd time)6 May 197014 March 1973 13thBrendan Corish(2nd time)14 March 19735 July 1977 14thCharles Haughey5 July 197712 December 1979 15thMichael Woods(1st time)12 December 197930 June 1981 16thEileen Desmond30 June 19819 March 1982 17thMichael Woods(2nd time)9 March 198214 December 1982 18thBarry Desmond14 December 198214 February 1986 19thGemma Hussey14 February 198610 March 1987 19thMichael Woods(3rd time)10 March 198713 November 1991 20th21stBrendan Daly13 November 199111 February 1992 21stCharlie McCreevy11 February 199212 January 1993 22ndMichael Woods(4th time)12 January 199315 December 1994 23rdProinsias De Rossa15 December 199426 June 1997 24thMinister for Social, Community and Family Affairs 1997–2002NameTerm of officePartyGovernment(s)Dermot Ahern26 June 19976 June 2002 25thMinister for Social and Family Affairs 2002–2010NameTerm of officePartyGovernment(s)Mary Coughlan6 June 200229 September 2004 26thSéamus Brennan29 September 200414 June 2007 26thMartin Cullen14 June 20077 May 2008 27thMary Hanafin7 May 200823 March 2010 28thMinister for Social Protection 2010–2017NameTerm of officePartyGovernment(s)Éamon Ó Cuív23 March 20109 March 2011 28thJoan Burton9 March 20116 May 2016 29thLeo Varadkar6 May 201614 June 2017 30thMinister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection 2017–2020NameTerm of officePartyGovernment(s)Regina Doherty14 June 201727 June 2020 31stMinister for Social Protection 2020–presentNameTerm of officePartyGovernment(s)Heather Humphreys27 June 202023 January 2025 32nd33rd34thDara Calleary23 January 2025Incumbent 35th Notes
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