User:Jnestorius/Junior ministers

I think that, whereas the Constitution says ministers have the right to be heard in either house, it is the standing orders that extend this right to junior ministers?

Michael Gallagher 1987 comment:
 * in a small parliament like the Dail, where about a third of government deputies are cabinet or junior ministers, every ambitious backbencher can entertain hopes of fairly rapid advancement provided he or she displays ﬁdelity to the party line, and so there will be a temptation for able government backbenchers to be as supportive of their ministers in the forum of a committee as in the Dail chamber.

Magill 1982 article surveys.

Garret Fitzgerald in 1995 regarded special advisers and programme managers as more useful to ministers than junior ministers, and the successive increases in the numbers of the latter as mistakes:
 * while as Taoiseach I regretfully recognised the political necessity of filing the 15 poisitions once they had been provided for by law, I could never identify more than seven or eight significant taks that could with real advantage be devolved with delegated functions  to a junior minister

Comments
Coakley & Gallagher:
 * Juniors cannot be on Oireachtas committees
 * Juniors chosen for geographical balance; blood before promotion; in coalition often from different party to minister; rivals as credit for policy success, may be cut out by senior; good publicity for smaller parties e.g. Liz O'Donnell
 * "super-juniors" are a fudge
 * "With the exception of the Chief Whip, these are not entitled to attend government meetings unless invited specifically to talk about some matter affecting departmental responsibilities (although during the Rainbow Coalition of 1994-97 the Democratic Leftjunior minister Pat Rabbitte was allowed to attend all meetings, and the same facility was extended to the PD junior minister Bobby Molloy in the following government)."

Tonra 2002:
 * Since the early 1980s junior ministers at the Department of Foreign Affairs have tended to cover one of two functional areas of responsibility, either development aid or European affairs. In neither area have such junior ministers succeeded in achieving for themselves a significant political profile although the European affairs portfolio – which has been either jointly or exclusively assigned to the Department of the Taoiseach – has been perceived as a platform for later ministerial preferment. To date, no junior minister responsible for development aid has made it to the cabinet table

Connaughton 2017: "programme managers" introduced by Labour in 1992 [cross-dept function, in addition to civil service and ministerial advisers] were abolished in 1997 [except for Taoiseach and Tánaiste] with increased emphasis on junior ministers. "From 1997 onwards, an emphasis was placed on the role of ministers of state (junior ministers), whose numbers substantially increased."

Sunday Business Post 2006:
 * Garret FitzGerald 1980 and Tom Kitt 1995 in opposition opposed recent increases in numbers; Charlie McCreevy "said everyone knew many of these minister of state positions were non-positions and they should be abolished"; SBP said "non-jobs" in 2006 filled by Mary Wallace, Sile de Valera, Tim O'Malley, Sean Power, Pat 'The Cope' Gallagher and Batt O'Keeffe; and arguably Conor Lenihan.

T. Ryle Dwyer 2006:
 * The Taoiseach selects the members of his cabinet, but the cabinet is supposed to appoint ministers of state. ... Of course, the cabinet's role in relation to ministers of state has usually been apparent only when a minister was being sacked. Then the Taoiseach would have to wait for a cabinet meeting to dispose of the outgoing person's services, as happened with Ivor Callely recently
 * 1924 act s.7(1): "The Executive Council may from time to time, on the nomination of the President of the Council, appoint.."
 * 1977 act s.1(1): "The Government may, on the nomination of the Taoiseach, appoint not more than 10 persons, who are members of either House of the Oireachtas"]
 * Whereas 1924 s.7(3) "A Minister who is not a member of the Executive Council may, with the approval of Dáil Eireann expressed by resolution, appoint a person being a member of the Dáil to be his Parliamentary Secretary" so limit of seven was not absolute till 1937 constitution abolished extern ministers. Were there any such extern parliamentary secretaries? Nope. Only 3rd and 4th Dáileanna had extern ministers, none of whom had a PS.

Noel Whelan:
 * If the division of responsibilities at cabinet level is ad hoc and confused, the allocation of responsibilities and titles between ministers of state is even stranger. Apart from political anoraks, most people are blissfully unaware of the names, let alone the job titles or the departmental assignments of many of our ministers of state. The trend towards more ministers of state being assigned to a more peculiar range of functions is likely to continue however, not least because press statements from interest groups or policy documents from political parties which call for some issue or area of activity to be prioritised nearly always include a suggestion that the issue get its own minister of state.

SBP 2007:
 * The semi-controversy about the increase in the number of junior ministers simply reflects one of the old traditions of Irish politics. ... consolation prize for areas not represented in the 'big 15'...also represent a nod to interest groups...In terms of duties, a Minister of State has few.

SBP 2012:
 * Tension is the norm, as cabinet members try to retain good news announcements and publicity for themselves against their junior departmental colleagues' equal desire to retain autonomy over as many delegated responsibilities as they can. ... Joan Burton was right when she observed a few days ago that tales of the differences between cabinet ministers and their ministers of state are the stuff of political legend.

Eoin O'Malley 2012:
 * 2009 reduction to 15 "a political sop to the financial crisis". "While it was the case that junior ministers depended on their senior minister to provide a meaningful role, junior ministers now have reasonably clear areas of responsibility, and some can successfully pursue a certain agenda, though at all times the senior minister retains political responsibility. However, they still have few formal powers, as the government minister retains statutory functions and will bring relevant policies to cabinet. Some senior ministers and civil servants complain about the quality of junior ministers: that many are barely competent or have little interest in the policy area. It is not controversial to say that the expansion of junior ministers occurred for purely party political reasons and that their role is of limited importance."

Particular departments
What of multi-department: when was first? (Fennel 1983 at DofTaoi, not subsidiary Depts.) Any special difficulties? Single co-ordination function vs grab-bag of parallel delegations?

Taoiseach / Government
PS/MoS to the Government/ExCouncil is different from PS/MoS at the Dept of the Taoiseach/PrExCo -- check the relevant statutes for any difference. Perhaps limit of one PS per Dept made this a useful equivalent of "minister without portfolio".

Government Chief Whip is PS/MoS at the Dept of the Taoiseach/PrExCo. [sole PS, one of several MoS] What if coalition? More generally, are there separate party whips in a coalition?

Defence
PS Def is on council of def. Often same person is PS Taoiseach (one exception -- not the only one -- was when Dev was T & Min Ext Aff: same person was PS in those two depts, while another was PS Def). Sometimes neglect to appoint PS Def; 1950 IIRC, also 1973-6.

Gaeltacht
Is there much evidence of a junior minister for the Gaeltacht either:
 * from 1956-92 where (as often the case) the cabinet minister at the Dept of the Gaeltacht had another portfolio
 * 1958 — Patrick Lindsay double-jobbed PS G. and Ed. under Richard Mulcahy double-jobbed new Dept for a few months before Lindsay promoted to minister for G.
 * 1965-68 — Pádraig Faulkner PS G. while Mícheál Ó Móráin G. and Lands; Faulkner promoted both mins with no PS
 * 1969-73 — George Colley min G. and Ind (69-70)/Fin(70-73); Gerry Collins double PS 69-70; Michael F. Kitt PS G. 70-73
 * from 1992 on when the portfolio was broader than the Gaeltacht. Some of the following also had a second MoS brief from another Dept. Some appointments specify parallel for each Dept, others all-in-one even where dissimilar.
 * 1993-94 govt the Department of the Gaeltacht absorbed into Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, with junior minister for the Gaeltacht (Pat "the Cope" Gallagher) under minister Michael D. Higgins.
 * But 1995-97 govt had "Western Development and Rural Renewal" as only junior, and that shared with Taoiseach.
 * 1997-2002 MoS "Gaeltacht and the Islands" dept "Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands"
 * 2002-2007 Mos "Drugs Strategy and Community Affairs" dept "Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs"
 * 2007-2011 Mos "Drugs Strategy and Community Affairs", "Integration Policy" / (from 2010) "Equality and Human Rights; and Integration" dept "Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs" (to 2010) / "Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs"
 * 2011-2016 Mos "Gaeltacht Affairs" / (2014) "Gaeltacht Affairs and Natural Resources" "New Communities, Culture and Equality" dept "Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht"
 * 2016-2020 Mos "Gaeltacht Affairs and Natural Resources" "Regional Economic Development" / (2017) "Gaeilge, Gaeltacht and the Islands" dept "Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs" / (2017) "Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht"
 * 2020-date Mos "Gaeltacht and Sport" dept "Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media"

Compare sole min, no PS: Tom O'Donnell 73-77; Denis Gallagher 77-79, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn 79-81; Paddy O'Toole 81-2; Pádraig Flynn Mar-Oct 82; Denis Gallagher Oct-Dec 82;

Salary
Until 1973 amount specified in act; thereafter in SI.

1920
Owing to the inability of the Secretary for Irish to devote sufficient time to the duties of the position, Proinnsias O Fathaigh (Galway, South) had been appointed as Assistant Minister

1921
The PRESIDENT. The MINISTER FOR FINANCE. The ASSOCIATE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS. The SUBSTITUTE MINISTER FOR LABOUR. The MINISTER FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT. The MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS. The DIRECTOR OF TRADE AND COMMERCE. The DIRECTOR OF FISHERIES. The ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR DEFENCE. The ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR IRISH. THE ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

1922
we set up a Committee called the Government Contracts Committee, which is placed under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and there is general approval, so far as the Ministry is concerned, that this particular new service would require the association of another person, either as Assistant Minister or as Minister to be responsible for that particular service. ... I would suggest to the Dáil the appointment of an Assistant Minister in order to give us an opportunity of seeing what the result would be. ... We have now got ... a Second House ... and we have come to the conclusion ... that some liaison between the two Houses would be necessary. I would ask the Dáil, as far as that is concerned, to approve of the appointment of a Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry. ... I think the Dáil, after considering the matter, will come to the conclusion that I put before them now that those two offices ought to be granted—in the first case an Assistant to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and in the second case the Cabinet should have the advantage of this Parliamentary Secretary.

1923
Assistant Minister for Finance

1927
Michael Heffernan of the Farmers' Party was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs in the 1927–32 government where all senior ministers were in Cumann na nGaedheal. Technically therefore the Executive Council of the Irish Free State was a Cumann na nGaedhealminority government with confidence and supply support from the Farmers' Party.

1975
In April 1975, Garret Fitzgerald as Minister for Foreign Affairs asked Liam Cosgrave for a junior minister, and got John M. Kelly, who was already chief whip (and Parliamentary Secretary to the Taoiseach) and so had limited time for the departmental role.

1977
The Parliamentary Secretaries are, in effect, junior Ministers ... experience has shown that the effective delegation of functions and of the necessary authority for their discharge to Parliamentary Secretaries is impeded by the title of the office. To begin with the domestic level, it is a fact of life that it is difficult to secure full acceptance for their discharge of ministerial functions in a representative or executive capacity by a man who not only lacks the title of Minister but is designated as the Parliamentary Secretary to a Minister. In international affairs, the position is even more difficult. In other countries the office of Parliamentary Secretary is quite a junior position in the Government hierarchy and the term “Minister of State” is commonly recognised as meaning a junior Minister occupying an office immediately below Cabinet rank. The assignment of the title “Minister of State” to junior Ministers therefore offers a means by which a much greater delegation of functions to junior Ministers will be acceptable at home and abroad.

1978
I wish to say something brief about this motion. Seen formally the motion is merely intended to tidy up a necessary consequence of legislation that was passed here a few months ago in regard to the abolition of the old and honourable title of Parliamentary Secretary its replacement by the title of Minister of State and the creation of another three offices with that same title.

While this Party have no objection to this obviously necessary consequential measure being enacted, I should like to remind the House of what was said by the Tánaiste on 2 November last when he introduced the Second Stage of the Ministers and Secretaries Bill. He gave many reasons for the proposed change, some of which could be taken less seriously [96] than others as, for example, that office holders with the puny title of Parliamentary Secretary were not being taken seriously by foreigners whom they met at meetings in Europe and elsewhere. There were other reasons somewhat more serious than that, with one of which I had to agree, that was, that there was a very high increase in the burden of work which office holders have to endure particularly, as the Minister had just then realised, as a result of the additional functions connected with membership of the European Communities. The Minister explained to the House that these Parliamentary Secretaries, with their new and improved titles and salaries could, because of their greater numbers, not only be helping the Ministers to whom they would be junior but in regard to themselves individually would have what the Minister called “wider and heavier responsibilities than have hitherto been assigned to Parliamentary Secretaries”.

If I have missed a Government announcement in this regard I am sorry for holding up the House, but I do not recall any announcement describing or listing these heavier and extended responsibilities, commensurate with the heavier and extended titles and salaries which these office holders were to be called on to discharge. On the contrary, it seems to me—I make no special point on this since I may not know what is going on inside that Department— that in the case of one of these office holders, and here I beg pardon for appearing ungallant in mentioning this one in particular, Deputy Geoghegan-Quinn, who has been joined by another office holder of the same rank, has diminished responsibilities. I am glad to have the opportunity of wishing Deputy Burke well but I am not sure that Deputy Geoghegan-Quinn's responsibilities are not being diminished instead of extended by this other appointment.

1981–2?
Emily O'Reilly 2003:
 * Chatting recently to a cabinet minister about a certain junior minister, I realised that I didn't know what the minister was junior minister of exactly. So I asked the cabinet minister. He didn't have a clue either.
 * Garret FitzGerald shattered their illusions when he became taoiseach in the early 1980s. Garret, being Garret, ran overtime when dishing out the cabinet positions and, to get back on schedule, called in all the prospective junior ministers together and handed out their portfolios en masse. Some were miffed at this job-lot approach to their big day, others didn't like the portfolios they'd been given. Fine, said Garret, you can swap. So they did.
 * Still they tootle on, ever hopeful of promotion, drawing to themselves the few bits and scraps of status that their senior minister discards. The car and driver are as vital to a junior minister as their inner organs.

1982
In June 1982, Fitzgerald appointed a team of shadow ministers to the Fianna Fáil goverment and also junior ministers. Was this a first use of shadow juniors (other than party whip)?

1982–7
In December 1982 Fitzgerald "was concerned that all Ministers of State should have specific tasks formally delegated to them by their Ministers, something that in the past had often not been the case'. Accordingly I decided in each instance the duties of the junior Minister, and asked that the formal assignment of these functions be made by the member of the Government concerned."

Nuala Fennell formally at Taoiseach's dept was to coordinate women's affairs across departments, but civil servants and some ministers were uncooperative.

At Barretstown conference in summer 1983, govt agreed to replace garda cars for junior ministers with transport allowance, saving £750k and freeing 30–40 guards.

Before 1986 government reshuffle, Fitzgerald decided not to promote juniors because it would entail demoting seniors, and there was "no tradition in Ireland of dropping Ministers from the cabinet". He did demote two juniors, having warned all these in 1982 that such would happen; but in the event one objected; Fitzgerald had to apologise for misleading the Dáil after he announced the change as a resignation rather than a dismissal. IT described reshuffle as most significant since 1939. Hussey presented as demotion; Haughey said "Instead he put her in charge of the Department of Social Welfare which on its own is a meaningless ministry concerned only with the annual allocation of social welfare funds and nothing else in the way of policy input."

1986 reshuffle
 * dail1986021300031 Miniterial Assignments and Titles: Announcement by Taoiseach.
 * dail1986021800022 Announcement by Taoiseach. In the absence of resignations in writing, the Government today terminated the appointments as Ministers of State of Deputies Michael D'Arcy and Donal Creed. Accordingly, the appointments of Deputy Enda Kenny and Deputy Avril Doyle as Ministers of State take effect from today's date. I regret that I informed the House on Thursday last that the two Deputies had resigned.
 * dail1986022000004 Confidence in Government: Motion.
 * dail1986022000026 Confidence in Government: Motion (Resumed).
 * dail1986022100004 Confidence in Government: Motion: (Resumed).
 * originally envisaged changing Gemma Hussey from Minister for Education to "Minister for European Affairs", technically a minister without portfolio to be delegated functions by Peter Barry, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, allowing Barry to focus on implementing the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement. Fitzgerald preferred this to the alternatives of, on the one hand, demoting Hussey to junior minister in the Department of Foreign Affairs, or, on the other hand, splitting European Affairs out of Foreign Affairs into a new Department of State. Objections from another minister (Barry Desmond) meant the eventual reshuffle lacked any minister without portfolio.
 * (actually Dermot Nally, head civil servant, said would have to be a new department, which suggests Garret hadn't thought through the one-department-two-ministers issue? His memoirs don't explicitly state "without portfolio": what about Hussey's or third-party commentators?)
 * Hussey (1990 p.196) diary entry for 13 Feb 1993 has "Minister for European Affairs ... I was worried at the beginning that it would look like a souped-up Junior Ministry but Garret is adamant that it's a full Ministry, but then he's not me." There's more up to "volte-face" on p.201 but no mention of "without portfolio".
 * The Irish Times breaking the story suggests Hussey feared being "regarded as the number two in the shared Department of Foreign Affairs".

1992–4
Tom Kitt given three unrelated briefs: Arts, women's affairs, and European affairs, causing all three areas to feel insulted at not meriting a fulltime post; but Kitt told ohnw many civil servants were assigned to each.

1994–7
"Super junior" invented in 1994 since DL couldnt have 2 senior ministers as 15 max and FG 8 and Lab 6.

Hugh Coveney demoted from senior to junior.

1997-2002
In 1997 Fianna Fáil–PD government, the Department of Equality and Law Reform was effectively abolished, its responsibilities transferred to the Department of Justice (renamed Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform) where Mary Wallace was minister of state for "equality and disabilities".

2008ish
Garda driver and official Merc was abolished for ministers of state several years before 2011 abolition for [most] ministers.