# Department of Transport (Ireland)

The Department of Transport (Irish: An Roinn Iompair) is a department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for transport policy and overseeing transport services and infrastructure. The department is led by the Minister for Transport.

## Departmental team

The official headquarters and ministerial offices of the department are in Leeson Lane, Dublin. It also has offices in Killarney and Loughrea. The departmental team consists of the following:
* Minister for Transport: Darragh O'Brien, TD
** Minister of State for International and road transport, logistics, rail and ports: Seán Canney, TD
** Minister of State for Rural transport: Jerry Buttimer, TD
* Secretary General of the Department: Ken Spratt

## Affiliated bodies
### State Agencies

Among the State Agencies that report to, are appointed by the Minister, or are otherwise affiliated to the department are:
* National Transport Authority
* Road Safety Authority
* Transport Infrastructure Ireland
* Irish Aviation Authority
* Irish Coast Guard
* Commission for Aviation Regulation
* Air Accident Investigation Unit

### State-sponsored bodies

Among the state-sponsored bodies sponsored by the Minister are:
* Córas Iompair Éireann and its subsidiaries.
* Dublin Airport Authority and the shadow Cork authorities.
* Dublin Port Company

## History

The Department of Transport and Power was created by the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1959 with Erskine H. Childers as its first minister. Thekla Beere was appointed as the Secretary of the Department in that year, making it the first government department to be led by a woman. On 2 January 1984, the Department of Transport was abolished under the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1983.
| Date | Effect |
| 27 July 1959 | Establishment of the Department of Transport and Power |
| 27 July 1959 | Transfer of Transport, Fuel and Power from the Department of Industry and Commerce |
| 13 September 1977 | Transfer of Energy to the Department of Industry and Commerce |
| 23 September 1977 | Renamed as the Department of Tourism and Transport |
| 25 January 1980 | Transfer of Tourism to the Department of Industry, Commerce and Tourism |
| 25 January 1980 | Renamed as the Department of Transport |
| 2 January 1984 | Department abolished and functions transferred to the Department of Communications |
The Department of the Public Service was created in 1973. Throughout most of the period of this ministerial title, it was held by a minister who also had another ministerial role. In 1987, at the formation of the 20th government, the substantive functions of the Department of the Public Service were transferred to the Department of Finance, and the Department of the Public Service was renamed as the Department of Tourism and Transport; therefore, the current Department of Transport is formally a successor to the Department of the Public Service established in 1973.

### Alteration of name and transfer of functions

| Date | Effect |
| 1 November 1973 | Establishment of the Department of the Public Service |
| 1 November 1973 | Transfer of Public Service from the Department of Finance |
| 19 March 1987 | Transfer of Public Service to the Department of Finance |
| 20 March 1987 | Renamed as the Department of Tourism and Transport |
| 31 March 1987 | Transfer of Transport from the Department of Communications |
| 31 March 1987 | Transfer of Tourism from the Department of the Marine |
| 7 February 1991 | Renamed as the Department of Tourism, Transport and Communications |
| 6 February 1991 | Transfer of Communications from the Department of Communications |
| 20 January 1993 | Transfer of Broadcasting to the Department of the Gaeltacht |
| 20 January 1993 | Transfer of Tourism to the Department of Energy |
| 21 January 1993 | Transfer of Energy from the Department of Energy |
| 22 January 1993 | Renamed as the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications |
| 12 July 1997 | Renamed as the Department of Public Enterprise |
| 15 July 1997 | Transfer of Mining to the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources |
| 18 June 2002 | Transfer of Roads from the Department of the Environment and Local Government |
| 18 June 2002 | Transfer of Communications and Energy to the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources |
| 19 June 2002 | Renamed as the Department of Transport |
| 1 April 2011 | Transfer of Tourism and Sport from the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport |
| 2 April 2011 | Renamed as the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport |
| 1 June 2011 | Transfer of Tourism and Sport from the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport |
| 14 January 2015 | Transfer of Worker Participation to the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources |
| 1 January 2018 | Transfer of Motor Tax from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government |
| 16 September 2020 | Transfer of Tourism and Sport to the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht |
| 17 September 2020 | Renamed as the Department of Transport |
| 28 February 2023 | Transfer of Renewable transport fuel from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications |