Department of Education and Youth
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| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 26 August 1921 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Ireland |
| Headquarters | Tyrone House, Marlborough Street, Dublin 53°20′57″N 6°15′27″W / 53.34917°N 6.25750°W |
| Annual budget | €11.9 billion (2025)[1] |
| Minister responsible | |
| Department executive |
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| Website | Official website  |
The Department of Education and Youth (Irish: An Roinn Oideachais agus Óige) is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Education and Youth.
Departmental team
[edit]The official headquarters and ministerial offices of the department are at Marlborough Street, Dublin. The departmental team consists of the following:[2]
- Minister for Education and Youth: Hildegarde Naughton, TD
- Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth with special responsibility for special education and inclusion: Michael Moynihan, TD
- Secretary General: Bernie McNally[3]
Overview
[edit]The department has the following divisions:[4]
- Internal Audit
- Special Education, NEPS and Redress
- People Division
- Finance, Corporate Services, Communications and Parents and Learners
- Schools, Social Inclusion and Youth
- Corporate Services
- Planning and Building Unit
- Curriculum and Assessment
- Major Operations
- Chief Information Officer
- Chief Inspector of Education
Aegis bodies
[edit]The following bodies are under the aegis of the department:[5]
- An Chomhairle um Oideachais Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta
- Educational Research Centre
- National Council for Curriculum and Assessment
- State Examinations Commission
- Teaching Council
- National Council for Special Education
- CARANUA - Residential Institutions Statutory Fund
- Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse
- Residential Institutions Redress Board
- Residential Institutions Review Committee
History
[edit]In the revolutionary period, the position was established by Dáil Éireann in 1920 as the Minister for Irish.[6][7] This was expanded as the Secretary for Education in the Government of the 2nd Dáil.[8][9]
It was provided a statutory basis by the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, passed soon after the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. This act provided it with:[10]
the administration and business generally of public services in connection with Education, including primary, secondary and university education, vocational and technical training, endowed schools, reformatories, and industrial schools, and all powers, duties and functions connected with the same, and shall include in particular the business, powers, duties and functions of the branches and officers of the public services specified in the Fourth Part of the Schedule to this Act, and of which Department the head shall be, and shall be styled, an t-Aire Oideachais or (in English) the Minister for Education.
It also assigned it with the following branches of administration:[11]
- The Commissioners of National Education in Ireland
- The Intermediate Education Board for Ireland
- The Commissioners of Education in Ireland (Endowed Schools)
- The Inspector of Reformatory and Industrial Schools
- The Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction for Ireland (business and functions relating to Technical Instruction only).
- The College of Science
- The Geological Survey in Ireland
- The National Museum of Science and Art
- The National Library of Ireland
- The National Gallery of Ireland
- The Metropolitan School of Art
- Meteorological Services
In the early years of the state, the main focus was on running the national school primary system. Free secondary education was provided from 1968. The department also had the task of overseeing reformatory and industrial schools from 1922. The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, which reported in 2009 (the "Ryan Report"), found that this was rarely achieved.
The department's headquarters were situated within the grounds of Tyrone House, Dublin in what was formerly the home of the National Education Commissioners.
Alteration of name and transfer of functions
[edit]The name and functions of the department have changed by means of statutory instruments.
| Date | Effect |
|---|---|
| 2 June 1924 | Establishment of the Department of Education[12] |
| 9 October 1936 | Transfer of Meteorological Services to the Department of Industry and Commerce[13] |
| 13 July 1943 | Allocation of the Genealogical Office[14] |
| 27 January 1984 | Transfer of the National Gallery and National Museum to the Department of the Taoiseach[15] |
| 10 June 1986 | Transfer of the National Library of Ireland to the Department of the Taoiseach[16] |
| 1 October 1997 | Renamed as the Department of Education and Science[17] |
| 25 June 2002 | Transfer of the Genealogical Office to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism[18] |
| 1 May 2010 | Transfer of Skills Training from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment[19] |
| 1 May 2010 | Transfer of Research to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment[20] |
| 2 May 2010 | Renamed as the Department of Education and Skills[21] |
| 11 May 2011 | Transfer of the National Education Welfare Board to the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs[22] |
| 21 October 2020 | Transfer of Further and Higher Education to the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science[23] |
| 22 October 2020 | Renamed as the Department of Education[24] |
| 1 January 2021 | Transfer of Education Welfare from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth[25] |
| 1 May 2025 | Transfer of Youth from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth[26] |
| 2 May 2025 | Renamed as the Department of Education and Youth[27] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Education: 2025". Where Your Money Goes. Government of Ireland. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
- ^ "Government Ministers", Government of Ireland (gov.ie), Department of the Taoiseach, 5 May 2026 [18 December 2018]
- ^ "Secretary General of the Department of Education". Government of Ireland (gov.ie). Department of Education. 19 August 2021.
- ^ "Who Does What". Government of Ireland (gov.ie). Department of Education and Youth. 30 April 2026 [15 June 2023].
- ^ "Bodies under the aegis of the Department". Government of Ireland (gov.ie). Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. 26 September 2025. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
- ^ "The Irish Language". Dáil Debates. F (14). 27 October 1919. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ "Ratification of Ministers". Dáil Debates. F (15). 29 June 1920. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ "Alteration of Ministry of Irish to Ministry of Education". Dáil Debates. S (6). 25 August 1921. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ "The New Ministry". Dáil Debates. S (7). 26 August 1921. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, s. 1: Establishment of the Departments of State (No. 16 of 1924, s. 1). Enacted on 21 April 1924. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 5 October 2019.
- ^ Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, Schedule, Schedule (No. 16 of 1924, Schedule). Enacted on 21 April 1924. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 5 October 2019.
- ^ "Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 (Commencement) Order 1924". Irish Statute Book. 30 May 1924. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ Meteorological Services (Re-Distribution of Public Services) Order 1936 (S.R.O. No. 276 of 1936). Signed on 9 October 1936. Statutory Rules and Orders of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 14 May 2026.
- ^ Allocation of Administration (Genealogical Office) Order 1943 (S.R.O. No. 267 of 1943). Signed on 13 July 1943. Statutory Rules and Orders of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 9 November 2020.
- ^ Arts and Culture (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 1984 (S.I. No. 27 of 1984). Signed on 27 January 1984. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 14 May 2026.
- ^ Arts and Culture (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 1986 (S.I. No. 246 of 1986). Signed on 10 June 1986. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 14 May 2026.
- ^ Education (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 1997 (S.I. No. 430 of 1997). Signed on 30 September 1997. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 11 September 2019.
- ^ Genealogical Office (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2002 (S.I. No. 328 of 2002). Signed on 25 June 2002. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 9 November 2020.
- ^ Employment Programmes and Services and Skills Training (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2010 (S.I. No. 187 of 2010). Signed on 27 April 2010. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 11 September 2019.
- ^ Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2010 (S.I. No. 188 of 2010). Signed on 27 April 2010. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 11 September 2019.
- ^ Education and Science (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2010 (S.I. No. 184 of 2010). Signed on 27 April 2010. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 11 September 2019.
- ^ National Education Welfare Board (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 215 of 2011). Signed on 10 May 2011. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 3 October 2020.
- ^ Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 451 of 2020). Signed on 20 October 2020. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 16 November 2020.
- ^ Education and Skills (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 450 of 2020). Signed on 20 October 2020. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 16 November 2020.
- ^ Education Welfare (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2020 (S.I. No. 588 of 2020). Signed on 1 December 2020. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 15 December 2020.
- ^ Youth (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2025 (S.I. No. 181 of 2025). Signed on 29 April 2025. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 16 May 2025.
- ^ Education (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2025 (S.I. No. 179 of 2025). Signed on 29 April 2025. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 16 May 2025.