Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment explained

The Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is a junior ministerial post in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment of the Government of Ireland and assists the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. A Minister of State does not hold cabinet rank.

There are currently two Ministers of State:^[1]

• Dara Calleary, TD – Minister of State with responsibility for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation
• Emer Higgins, TD – Minister of State with responsibility for Business, Employment and Retail

List of parliamentary secretaries

Department of Industry and Commerce 1927–1977
Name	Term of office		Party		Government
James Dolan	11 October 1927	9 March 1932		4th EC^[2] 5th EC
Seán Moylan	21 July 1937	9 February 1943		8th EC^[3] 1st2nd^[4]
Seán O'Grady	9 February 1943	31 December 1946		2nd3rd^[5] 4th^[6]
Liam Cosgrave	24 February 1948	13 June 1951		5th^[7]
Patrick Crotty	2 June 1954	20 March 1957		7th
Gerald Bartley	20 March 1957	24 February 1958		8th
Michael Hilliard	24 February 1958	23 June 1959
Seán Flanagan	21 April 1965	10 November 1966		11th
Gerry Collins	2 July 1969	9 May 1970		13th
John Bruton	14 March 1973	25 May 1977		14th
Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy 1977–1978
Name	Term of office		Party		Government
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn	5 July 1977	1 January 1978		15th

List of ministers of state

Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy 1978–1980
Name	Term of office		Party		Responsibilities	Government
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn	1 January 1978	11 December 1979			15th
Ray Burke	1 January 1978	11 December 1979
Department of Industry, Commerce and Tourism 1980–1981
Name	Term of office		Party		Responsibilities	Government
Ray Burke	12 December 1979	15 October 1980			16th
Thomas Meaney	25 March 1980^[8]	30 June 1981
Denis Gallagher	15 October 1980	30 June 1981
Department of Trade, Commerce and Tourism 1981–1983
Name	Term of office		Party		Responsibilities	Government
Michael Begley	30 June 1981	9 March 1982		Tourism	17th
Seán Calleary	28 October 1982	14 December 1982		Tourism	18th
Michael Moynihan	16 December 1982	20 January 1987		Tourism	19th
Department of Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism 1983–1986
Name	Term of office		Party		Responsibilities	Government
Edward Collins	15 December 1983	23 September 1986		Commercial Affairs	19th
Department of Industry and Commerce 1986–1993
Name	Term of office		Party		Responsibilities	Government
Patrick Hegarty	13 February 1986	10 March 1987			19th
Richard Bruton	23 September 1986	10 March 1987		Energy Affairs
Séamus Brennan	12 March 1987	12 July 1989		Trade and Marketing	20th
Seán McCarthy	12 March 1987	12 July 1989		Science and Technology
Terry Leyden	19 July 1989	11 February 1992		Trade and Marketing	21st
Michael Smith	19 July 1989	15 November 1991		Science and Technology
Mary O'Rourke	13 February 1992	12 January 1993		Trade and Marketing	22nd
Michael Ahern	13 February 1992	12 January 1993		Science and Technology
Department of Enterprise and Employment 1993–1997
Name	Term of office		Party		Responsibilities	Government
Mary O'Rourke	14 January 1993	15 December 1994		Labour Affairs	23rd
Séamus Brennan	14 January 1993	15 December 1994		Commerce and Technology
Pat Rabbitte	20 December 1994	26 June 1997		Commerce, science and technology and consumer affairs	24th
Eithne FitzGerald	20 December 1994	26 June 1997		Labour Affairs
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment 1997–2010
Name	Term of office		Party		Responsibilities	Government
Michael Smith	8 July 1997	9 October 1997		Science and technology	25th
Noel Treacy	9 October 1997	18 June 2002		Science and technology
Tom Kitt	8 July 1997	18 June 2002		Labour affairs, consumer rights and international trade
Frank Fahey	18 June 2002	29 September 2004		Labour Affairs	26th
Michael Ahern	18 June 2002	20 June 2007		Trade and Commerce
	20 June 2007	13 May 2008	Innovation Policy	27th
Tony Killeen	29 September 2004	20 June 2007		Labour Affairs	26th
Seán Haughey	20 June 2007	13 May 2008		Lifelong Learning and School Transport	27th
	13 May 2008	9 March 2011	28th
Billy Kelleher	20 June 2007	13 May 2008		Labour Affairs	27th
	13 May 2008	21 April 2009	28th
	22 April 2009	9 March 2011	Trade and Commerce	28th
John McGuinness	9 July 2007	13 May 2008		Trade and Commerce	27th
	13 May 2008	21 April 2009	28th
Jimmy Devins	9 July 2007	7 May 2008		Disability Issues and Mental Health	27th
	13 May 2008	21 April 2009	Science, Technology and Innovation	28th
John Moloney	13 May 2008	22 March 2010			Equality, Disability Issues and Mental Health
Conor Lenihan	22 April 2009	9 March 2011			Science, Technology, Innovation and Natural Resources
Dara Calleary	22 April 2009	22 March 2010			Labour Affairs
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation 2010–2011
Name	Term of office		Party		Responsibilities	Government
John Moloney	23 March 2010	9 March 2011		Disability Issues and Mental Health	28th
Dara Calleary	23 March 2010	9 March 2011		Public Service Transformation and Labour Affairs
Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation 2011–2017
Name	Term of office		Party		Responsibilities	Government
John Perry	10 March 2011	15 July 2014		Small Business	29th
Seán Sherlock	19 March 2011	15 July 2014		Research and Innovation
Damien English	15 July 2014	19 May 2016		Skills, Research and Innovation
Ged Nash	15 July 2014	6 May 2016		Business and Employment
Pat Breen	19 May 2016	20 June 2017		Employment and Small Business	30th
John Halligan	19 May 2016	20 June 2017		Training and Skills
Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation 2017–2020
Name	Term of office		Party		Responsibilities	Government
Pat Breen	20 June 2017	27 June 2020		Trade, Employment, Business	31st
John Halligan	20 June 2017	27 June 2020		Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment 2020–present
Name	Term of office		Party		Responsibilities	Government
Damien English	1 July 2020	17 December 2022		Employment Affairs and Retail Businesses	32nd^[9]
Robert Troy	1 July 2020	24 August 2022		Trade Promotion
Dara Calleary	31 August 2022	17 December 2022		Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation
Damien English	21 December 2022	12 January 2023		Employment Affairs and Retail Businesses	33rd
Dara Calleary	21 December 2022	Incumbent		Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation	33rd^[10] ^[11] 34th
Neale Richmond	13 January 2023	10 April 2024		Employment Affairs and Retail Businesses	33rd
Emer Higgins	10 April 2024	Incumbent		Business, Employment and Retail	34th

Notes and References

1. Web site: Government Ministers. Government of Ireland. 8 January 2021. 7 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200807154553/https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/9b5048-government-ministers/. live.
2. Web site: History of Government – Sixth Dáil – Parliamentary Secretaries. Department of the Taoiseach. 5 January 2021. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121111235433/http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Sixth_D%C3%A1il.html. 11 November 2012.
3. Web site: History of Government – Ninth Dáil – Parliamentary Secretaries. Department of the Taoiseach. 5 January 2021. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121111235357/http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Ninth_D%C3%A1il.html. 11 November 2012.
4. Web site: History of Government – Tenth Dáil – Parliamentary Secretaries. Department of the Taoiseach. 5 January 2021. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121111235507/http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Tenth_D%C3%A1il.html. 11 November 2012.
5. Web site: History of Government – Eleventh Dáil – Parliamentary Secretaries. Department of the Taoiseach. 5 January 2021. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121111235539/http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Eleventh_D%C3%A1il.html. 11 November 2012.
6. Web site: History of Government – Twelfth Dáil – Parliamentary Secretaries. Department of the Taoiseach. 5 January 2021. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121111235531/http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Historical_Information/History_of_Government/Twelfth_D%C3%A1il.html. 11 November 2012.
7. Web site: Appointment of Members of Government and Parliamentary Secretaries – Dáil Éireann (13th Dáil) – Wednesday, 25 February 1948. Houses of the Oireachtas. 5 January 2021. 8 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210108142206/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1948-02-25/13/. live.
8. Web site: Appointment of Ministers of State – Dáil Éireann (21st Dáil) – Thursday, 27 March 1980. 31 March 2021. Houses of the Oireachtas. 8 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210108131206/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1980-03-27/3/. live.
9. Web site: Appointment of Ministers and Ministers of State – Dáil Éireann (33rd Dáil) . 7 July 2020. Houses of the Oireachtas. 17 January 2021. 9 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200709181211/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2020-07-07/3/. live.
10. Web site: Carroll MacNeill and O'Donnell promoted to junior ministers. RTÉ News. 21 December 2022. 21 December 2022. 21 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221221023704/https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2022/1220/1343061-minister-state-cabinet/. live.
11. Web site: Neale Richmond to replace English as junior minister. RTÉ News. 13 January 2022. 13 January 2023. 13 January 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230113114931/https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2023/0113/1346486-neale-richmond-junior-minister/. live.