A minister of state in Ireland (also called a junior minister) is of non-cabinet rank attached to one or more Departments of State of the Government of Ireland and assists a minister of that government.
, 38 women have served as ministers of state in Ireland. Six of the 23 ministers of state appointed by the government of Micheál Martin in January 2025 were women, with two regularly attending cabinet. Some Ministers of State, including the Government Chief Whip, attend cabinet meetings in a non-voting capacity, but are not members of the Government. They are formally known as "Minister of State attending Government", or colloquially as "Super Junior" ministers. There are currently four Ministers of State who regularly attend cabinet, two of whom are women.
Appointment The Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 allowed the Executive Council (from 1937, the Government of Ireland) to appoint up to seven Parliamentary Secretaries to the Executive Council or to Executive Ministers. The Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1977 abolished the position of Parliamentary Secretary, and created the new position of Minister of State. This Act was commenced on 1 January 1978. Unlike senior government ministers, who are appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach and the prior approval of Dáil Éireann, Ministers of State are appointed directly by the government, on the nomination of the Taoiseach. Members of either House of the Oireachtas (Dáil or Seanad) may be appointed to be a minister of state at a Department of State.
History Máire Geoghegan-Quinn was the first and only woman to be appointed as a Parliamentary Secretary, when she was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Commerce by Jack Lynch in 1977. She was the first woman to be appointed as a minister of state in 1978, as Minister of State at the Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy. In 1979, Geoghegan-Quinn would become the first women appointed to cabinet since 1921. There has been at least one woman minister of state in all appointments since June 1981. To date, only one Senator, Pippa Hackett, who was appointed in June 2020, has been appointed as a minister of state.
List of women ministers of state
Name Department(s) Responsibility Party Appointed Left office Taoiseach Govt. 1 Industry and Commerce Parliamentary Secretary Jack Lynch 15th Industry, Commerce and Energy Minister of State 15th Education Youth and Sport Charles Haughey 18th Taoiseach Co-ordination of Government policy and EC matters 20th Taoiseach Co-ordinator of Government Policy and EC matters 21st 2 HealthSocial Welfare Poverty and the Family Garret FitzGerald 17th 3 Taoiseach Women's Affairs Garret FitzGerald 19th Justice Family Law Reform 4 FinanceEnvironment Office of Public WorksEnvironmental Protection Garret FitzGerald 19th TaoiseachFinanceTransport, Energy and Communications Consumers of Public Services John Bruton 24th 5 Environment Protection of the Environment Charles Haughey 21st Albert Reynolds 22nd 6 Industry and Commerce Trade and Marketing Albert Reynolds 22nd Enterprise and Employment Labour Affairs 23rd 7= Finance Office of the Tánaiste,National Development Plan Albert Reynolds 23rd Enterprise and Employment Office of the Tánaiste,Labour Affairs John Bruton 24th 7= Social Welfare Poverty,Tax and Social Welfare Codes Albert Reynolds 23rd Foreign AffairsJustice Overseas Development Assistance John Bruton 24th 9 Environment Environment John Bruton 24th10 Foreign Affairs Overseas Development Assistance,Human Rights Bertie Ahern25th Minister of State to the Government 11 Justice, Equality and Law Reform Equality,Disabilities Bertie Ahern 25th Agriculture and Food Forestry 26th Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Forestry 27th Health and Children Health Promotion,Food Safety Brian Cowen 28th 12 Health and ChildrenJustice, Equality and Law ReformEducation and Science Children Bertie Ahern 25th TaoiseachDefence Government Chief Whip,Defence,Information society 26th 13 Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands Gaeltacht,The Islands Bertie Ahern 25th 14 Education and Science Adult Education,Youth Affairs,Educational Disadvantage Bertie Ahern 26th 15 Health and ChildrenSocial and Family AffairsEnvironment, Heritage and Local Government Services for Older People Bertie Ahern 27th Health and ChildrenSocial and Family AffairsEnvironment, Heritage and Local Government Older People Brian Cowen 28th 16 Health and ChildrenSocial and Family AffairsEnvironment, Heritage and Local Government Older People,Health Promotion Brian Cowen 28th 17 Justice and Law ReformCommunity, Equality and Gaeltacht AffairsEducation and Skills Equality and Human Rights,Integration Brian Cowen 28th 18= Health Primary Care Enda Kenny 29th 18= Foreign Affairs and Trade Trade and Development Enda Kenny 29th Environment, Community and Local Government Housing and Planning 18= Justice and EqualityHealth Disability,Equality,Mental Health Enda Kenny 29th Health Primary Care,Mental Health,Disability 18= TaoiseachForeign Affairs and Trade European Affairs Enda Kenny 29th 22 Agriculture, Food and the MarineTransport, Tourism and Sport Rural Economic Development,Rural Transport Enda Kenny 29th 23 Taoiseach Government Chief Whip Enda Kenny 30th 24= Health Mental Health,Older People Enda Kenny 30th Foreign Affairs and Trade European Affairs Leo Varadkar 31st 24= Health Health Promotion Enda Kenny 30th 24= HealthHousing, Planning, Community and Local Government Communities,National Drugs Strategy Enda Kenny 30th Health Health Promotion,National Drugs Strategy Leo Varadkar 31st 27 Education and Skills Higher Education Leo Varadkar 31st 28= TransportEnvironment, Climate and Communications International and Road Transport and LogisticsPostal Policy and Eircodes Micheál Martin 32nd Health Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy Leo Varadkar 33rd Taoiseach Government Chief Whip Leo Varadkar 33rd Education Special education and inclusion Simon Harris 34th Children, Disability and Equality Disability Micheál Martin 35th 28= Agriculture, Food and the Marine Land Use and Biodiversity Micheál Martin 32nd Leo Varadkar 33rd Simon Harris 34th 30= Education Special Education and Inclusion Micheál Martin 32nd Leo Varadkar 33rd 30= HealthChildren, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Disability Micheál Martin 32nd Leo Varadkar 33rd Simon Harris 34th 30= Health Mental Health,Older People Micheál Martin 32nd Leo Varadkar 33rd Simon Harris 34th Taoiseach Government Chief Whip Incumbent Micheál Martin 35th Health Mental Health 33 Finance Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance Leo Varadkar 33rd Foreign Affairs European Affairs Simon Harris 34th 34 Enterprise, Trade and Employment Employment Affairs and Retail Businesses Simon Harris 34th Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation Public procurement, digitalisation and eGovernment Micheál Martin 35th Children, Disability and Equality Disability Incumbent Micheál Martin 35th 35= Health Public health, well-being and drugs Incumbent Micheál Martin 35th 35= Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Trade promotion, artificial intelligence and digital transformation Incumbent Micheál Martin 35th 35= Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Further education, apprenticeship, construction and climate skills Incumbent Micheál Martin 35th 38 Justice, Home Affairs and Migration International law, law reform and youth justice Incumbent Micheál Martin 35th
Timeline
Notes
References
Bibliography McNamara, Maedhbh; Mooney, Paschal (2000). Women in Parliament: Ireland 1918–2000. Dublin: Wolfhound Press. . McNamara, Maedhbh (2020). A Woman's Place is in the Cabinet 1919–2019. Drogheda: Sea Dog Books. .