The Minister for Health and Children is the senior minister at the Department of Health and Children (An Roinn Sláinte agus Leanaí) in the Irish Government.

The current Minister for Health and Children is Mary Harney, TD. She is assisted by:

• Brian Lenihan, Jr, TD - Minister of State with special responsibility for Children;
• Tim O'Malley, TD - Minister of State with special responsibility for Disability and Mental Health Services and Food Safety;
• Seán Power, TD - Minister of State with special responsibility for Health Promotion and other matters.

Health care formed part of the portfolio of the Minister for Local Government and Public Health until 22 January 1947. On that date the new position of Minister for Health was created, with complete control over all policy regarding health care provision in Ireland. In later years, the health portfolio was occasionally coupled with that for social welfare portfolio, in which case the incumbent was known as the Minister for Health and Social Welfare.

Contents

1 Overview 1.1 Child Care 1.2 Continuing Care 1.3 Finance 1.4 Personnel Management and Development 1.5 Primary Care 1.6 Secondary Care 1.7 Strategic Policy and Corporate Services 2 Ministers for Local Government & Public Health 1924-1947 3 List of Ministers for Health 4 List of Ministers for Health & Children 5 External link

Overview

The Minister's duties include the creation and assessment of policy for the health services. The main policy sections of the Department, together with their responsibilities, are:

Child Care

• Child care legislation
• National Children's Office

Continuing Care

• Services for homeless adults
• Services for people with disabilities
• Services for the elderly and palliative care

Finance

• Health insurance
• Hospital planning
• Public-Private Partnerships

Personnel Management and Development

• Nursing policy
• Personnel management and development

Primary Care

• Community health (child health, dental services, AIDS, reproductive health)
• General medical services

Secondary Care

• Blood policy
• Hospital services

Strategic Policy and Corporate Services

• Corporate Services
• Health promotion
• Health Strategy Legislation
  

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In the following tables the asterisk (*) indicates ministers who held the social welfare portfolio in addition to that for health.

Ministers for Local Government & Public Health 1924-1947

#	Name	Took Office	Left Office	Party
	Ernest Blythe	June 2, 1924	June 23, 1927	Cumann na nGaedhael
4.	Richard Mulcahy	June 23, 1927	March 9, 1932	Cumann na nGaedhael
5.	Seán T. O'Kelly	March 9, 1932	September 8, 1939	Fianna Fáil
6.	P.J. Ruttledge	September 8, 1939	August 14, 1941	Fianna Fáil
7.	Eamon de Valera (acting)	August 15, 1941	August 18, 1941	Fianna Fáil
8.	Seán MacEntee	August 18, 1941	January 22, 1947	Fianna Fáil

List of Ministers for Health

#	Name	Took Office	Left Office	Party
1.	*James Ryan (1st time)	January 22, 1947	February 18, 1948	Fianna Fáil
2.	Noel Browne	February 18, 1948	April 11, 1951	Clann na Poblachta
3.	John A. Costello (acting)	April 12, 1951	June 13, 1951	Fine Gael
	*James Ryan (2nd time)	June 13, 1951	June 2, 1954	Fianna Fáil
5.	Tom O'Higgins	June 2, 1954	March 20, 1957	Fine Gael
6.	*Seán MacEntee	March 20, 1957	April 21, 1965	Fianna Fáil
7.	Donagh O'Malley	April 21, 1965	July 13, 1966	Fianna Fáil
8.	Seán Flanagan	July 13, 1966	July 2, 1969	Fianna Fáil
9.	Erskine Childers	July 2, 1969	March 14, 1973	Fianna Fáil
10.	*Brendan Corish	March 14, 1973	July 5, 1977	Labour
11.	*Charles Haughey	July 5, 1977	December 11, 1979	Fianna Fáil
12.	*Michael Woods (1st time)	December 12, 1979	June 30, 1981	Fianna Fáil
13.	*Eileen Desmond	June 30, 1981	March 9, 1982	Labour
	*Michael Woods (2nd time)	March 9, 1982	December 14, 1982	Fianna Fáil
14.	*Barry Desmond	December 14, 1982	January 20, 1987	Labour
15.	John Boland	January 20, 1987	March 10, 1987	Fine Gael
16.	Rory O'Hanlon	March 10, 1987	November 14, 1991	Fianna Fáil
17.	Mary O'Rourke	November 14, 1991	February 11, 1992	Fianna Fáil
18.	John O'Connell	February 11, 1992	January 12, 1993	Fianna Fáil
19.	Brendan Howlin	January 12, 1994	November 17, 1994	Labour
	*Michael Woods (3rd time)	November 17, 1994	December 15, 1994	Fianna Fáil
20.	Michael Noonan	December 15, 1994	June 26, 1997	Fine Gael
21.	Brian Cowen	June 26, 1997	July 12, 1997	Fianna Fáil

List of Ministers for Health & Children

#	Name	Took Office	Left Office	Party
	Brian Cowen	July 12, 1997	January 27, 2000	Fianna Fáil
22.	Micheál Martin	January 27, 2000	September 29, 2004	Fianna Fáil
23.	Mary Harney	September 29, 2004	(Current Incumbent)	Progressive Democrats

External link

• Department of Health and Children