Government of Ireland facts for kids

The Government of Ireland (Irish: Rialtas na hÉireann) is like the main team that runs the country, the Republic of Ireland. This team is also called the cabinet. They are in charge of making big decisions and carrying out laws.

Who is in the Government?

The rules for the Government of Ireland are set out in the Constitution of Ireland.

The Leaders

The head of the Government is called the Taoiseach. Think of the Taoiseach as the prime minister or captain of the team. The second-in-command is the Tánaiste, who is chosen by the Taoiseach from the team members.

Team Size and Members

The Constitution says the Government must have between seven and fifteen members. Every member of the Government must also be a member of Ireland's parliament, which is called the Oireachtas.

Most members of the Government must come from the Dáil Éireann, which is the main part of the parliament. Only two members can be from the Seanad Éireann, which is the other, smaller part. The Taoiseach, Tánaiste, and the Minister for Finance must always be members of the Dáil. These 7 to 15 members are usually called "The Cabinet."

How Members Are Chosen

The Dáil Éireann chooses the Taoiseach, and then the President officially appoints them. The Taoiseach then picks the other members of the Government. These choices are approved by the Dáil and then officially appointed by the President.

Members of the Government are often called "cabinet ministers." They are different from "junior ministers" (officially called Ministers of State). A cabinet minister usually leads a big government department, like the Department of Education or Health. Sometimes, there's a minister who is part of the Government but doesn't lead a specific department.

Who Else Attends Cabinet Meetings?

Some important people attend cabinet meetings even if they are not official members of the Government. They can share their ideas and see the important papers, but they don't get to vote on decisions.

Legal Advisor

The Attorney General is the Government's main legal advisor. They attend cabinet meetings to give legal advice.

Chief Whip

The Chief Whip also attends cabinet meetings. Their job is to make sure members of their political party vote together in parliament.

Other Junior Ministers

Sometimes, the Government might ask other Ministers of State (junior ministers) to attend cabinet meetings. These are sometimes called "Super Junior Ministers."

The President of Ireland

The President is the head of state in Ireland. This important role was created by the Irish Constitution.

Becoming President

To become President, a person must be over 35 years old. They need to be nominated by at least 20 members of the Dáil or Seanad, or by at least four local government areas. Former Presidents can also nominate themselves.

President's Term and Role

The President serves for seven years and can only serve two terms. The President lives near Dublin. New Presidents take an oath at Dublin Castle.

The President represents all the people of Ireland, both at home and when visiting other countries. The President is also the leader of the Defence Forces (Ireland's military). There have been nine Presidents so far, and Michael D. Higgins is the current President.

The President's main job is to carry out duties given by the Constitution. They don't usually make big decisions about how the country is run; they act on the advice of the Government. However, the President does have some special powers, like asking the Supreme Court if a new law is constitutional, or refusing to dissolve the Dáil if the Taoiseach no longer has enough support.

The President officially appoints the Taoiseach after the Dáil chooses them. They also appoint other Government members once the Taoiseach has picked them and the Dáil has approved. Other important people appointed by the President include judges and officers in the Defence Forces.

History of the Government

The current Government was set up by the 1937 Constitution of Ireland. Before that, from 1922 to 1937, Ireland had something similar called the Executive Council.

Since 1989, all Irish Governments have been coalitions. This means two or more political parties work together to form the Government. The first coalition Government was formed in 1948. The Taoiseach is almost always the leader of the biggest party in the coalition. John A. Costello was the only Taoiseach who was not the leader of the largest party in his coalition.

Public Service

Government Buildings in Dublin, where many government departments are located.

The public service in Ireland includes all the people who work for the government and public organizations. In 2016, there were over 300,000 people working in the Irish public service.

The public service is divided into seven main areas:

• The Civil Service (people who work directly for government departments)
• The Defence Sector (the army, navy, and air force)
• The Education Sector (teachers and school staff)
• The Health Sector (doctors, nurses, and hospital staff)
• The Justice Sector (police, prison officers)
• Local Authorities (people working for city and county councils)
• Non-Commercial State Agencies (organizations like Bord Bia, which promotes Irish food, or IDA Ireland, which attracts foreign companies).

Some large state-owned companies, like the national broadcaster RTÉ or the electricity company ESB, are not considered part of the public service.

The biggest parts of the public service are the health sector (with over 105,000 employees) and the education sector (with about 98,450 employees).

Public Service Employees by Sector

Largest Public Service Organizations

Civil Service Explained

The civil service in Ireland is made up of people who work for the Government and the State. These workers are expected to be fair and not take sides with any political party. Some parts of the civil service work completely independently of the Government's decisions.

See also

In Spanish: Gobierno de Irlanda para niños