Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment |
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 Peter Burke since 9 April 2024 |
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| Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment | |
| Member of | |
| Reports to | Taoiseach |
| Seat | Dublin, Ireland |
| Appointer | President of Ireland on the nomination of the Taoiseach |
| Inaugural holder | Ernest Blythe as Director of Trade and Commerce |
| Formation | 17 June 1919 |
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment is a very important job in the Government of Ireland. This person leads a big team called the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Their main goal is to help businesses grow, create jobs, and make sure trade runs smoothly in Ireland.
Right now, Peter Burke is the Minister. He is also a TD, which means he is a member of the Irish Parliament.
He gets help from two other important people called Ministers of State. They focus on specific areas:
- Dara Calleary, TD, helps with promoting trade and making sure companies follow rules.
- Emer Higgins, TD, looks after jobs and shops.
What the Minister Does
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment is in charge of one of the most important parts of the Irish Government when it comes to money and jobs. They help create and carry out plans in five main areas:
- Enterprise, Innovation, and Growth: Helping new businesses start and grow, and encouraging new ideas.
- Quality, Work, and Learning: Making sure jobs are good and people can learn new skills.
- Making Markets and Regulation Work Better: Ensuring that businesses compete fairly and follow the rules.
- Quality, Value, and Continuous Improvement: Always trying to make things better and more efficient.
- The European Union: Working with other countries in the EU on trade and business rules.
A big part of the Department's work involves Ireland's membership in international groups like the European Union (EU) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The Department helps shape the rules and plans of these groups to make sure Ireland's businesses and workers are protected and can succeed.
The Department is split into different teams, each focusing on a specific area:
- Innovation and Investment
- Enterprise and Trade
- Commerce, Consumer, and Competition
- Employment Rights and Industrial Relations
- Corporate Services
History of the Role
The job of looking after trade and business in Ireland has been around for a long time, even before the modern Irish state was fully formed. The name of the Minister's job has changed many times over the years to reflect what was most important at the time.
The very first person to hold a similar role was Ernest Blythe. He was called the Director of Trade and Commerce in 1919. Over the years, the title changed to include things like "Industry," "Commerce," "Energy," "Tourism," "Employment," "Innovation," and "Business."
Here are some of the different names the role has had:
- Director of Trade and Commerce (1919–1921)
- Secretary for Trade and Commerce (1921–1922)
- Minister for Trade (1922)
- Minister for Industry and Commerce (1922–1977)
- Minister for Industry, Commerce and Energy (1977–1980)
- Minister for Industry, Commerce and Tourism (1980–1981)
- Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism (1981–1983)
- Minister for Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism (1983–1986)
- Minister for Industry and Commerce (1986–1993)
- Minister for Enterprise and Employment (1993–1997)
- Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (1997–2010)
- Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation (2010–2011)
- Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (2011–2017)
- Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation (2017–2020)
- Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment (2020–present)
The current Minister, Peter Burke, took on the role on April 9, 2024.
