# Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (Irish: An Roinn Fiontar, Turasóireachta agus Fostaíochta) is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.

## Departmental team

* Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Peter Burke, TD
** Minister of State for trade promotion, artificial intelligence and digital transformation: Niamh Smyth, TD
** Minister of State for small businesses and retail: Alan Dillon, TD
* Secretary General of the Department: Declan Hughes

## Overview

The official headquarters and ministerial offices of the department are at Kildare Street, Dublin. It is one of the most important economic departments in the Irish Government, responsible for the implementation of policy in five key areas:
* Enterprise, Innovation, Growth
* Quality Work and Learning
* Making Markets and Regulation work better
* Quality, Value and Continuous Improvement
* the European Union.
A large element of the work of the Department arises from Ireland's membership of a number of international organisations, in particular the European Union and the World Trade Organization. The Department plays an active role in the development of EU and WTO policies, particularly to ensure that Ireland's interests are protected. The Department is organised into five divisions. They are:
* Innovation and Investment Division
* Enterprise and Trade Division
* Commerce, Consumer and Competition Division
* Employment Rights and Industrial Relations Division
* Corporate Services

## Bodies and offices associated with the Department

The department oversees a large number of bodies and agencies. In July 2009 the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes proposed merging the Competition Authority and the National Consumer Agency. However, this process remains at an early stage. Until 2010, the Department was responsible for FÁS, which had its responsibilities divided up between two bodies in 2013. Bodies and agencies associated with the Department include:
* Companies Registration Office
* Competition and Consumer Protection Commission
* Local Enterprise Offices
* Director of Corporate Enforcement
* Employment Appeals Tribunal
* Enterprise Ireland
* Health and Safety Authority
* IDA Ireland
* InterTradeIreland (under North-South co-operation structures)
* Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority
* Labour Court
* Workplace Relations Commission
* National Standards Authority of Ireland
* Office of the Register of Friendly Societies
* Patents Office
* Personal Injuries Assessment Board

## History

In the Ministry of Dáil Éireann of the Irish Republic (1919–1922) there was a separate Minister for Industries and a Director of Trade and Commerce. These titled varied over the course of the ministries established during this revolutionary period. In the Irish Free State, there was a Minister for Industry and Commerce as part of the first Executive Council of the Irish Free State established in 1922. This was given a statutory basis by the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924. This act provided it with:
   the administration and business generally of public services in connection with trade, commerce, industry, and labour, industrial and commercial organisations and combinations, industrial and commercial statistics, transport, shipping, natural resources, and all powers, duties and functions connected with the same, including the promotion of trade and commerce by means of educational grants, and shall include in particular the business, powers, duties and functions of the branches and officers of the public services specified in the Sixth Part of the Schedule to this Act, and of which Department the head shall be, and shall be styled, an t-Aire Tionnscail agus Tráchtála or (in English) the Minister for Industry and Commerce.
The Schedule assigned it with the duties of the following bodies:
* Ministry of Transport (excluding the Roads Department).
* The Board of Trade.
* Registrar of Companies.
* Registrar of Business Names.
* Registration of Shipping.
* Minister for Labour.
* Electricity Commissioners.
* Chief and other Inspectors of Factories.

### Alteration of name and transfer of functions

| Date | Effect |
| 2 June 1924 | Established as the Department of Industry and Commerce |
| 1 August 1945 | Transfer of Supplies from the Department of Supplies |
| 27 July 1959 | Transfer of Transport, Fuel and Power to the Department of Transport and Power |
| 12 July 1966 | Transfer of Labour to the Department of Labour |
| 13 September 1977 | Transfer of Energy from the Department of Transport and Power |
| 23 September 1977 | Renamed as the Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy |
| 22 January 1980 | Transfer of Energy to the Department of Energy |
| 23 January 1980 | Renamed as the Department of Industry, Commerce and Tourism |
| 24 January 1980 | Transfer of Tourism from the Department of Tourism and Transport |
| 20 August 1981 | Transfer of Industry to the Department of Energy |
| 21 August 1981 | Renamed as the Department of Trade, Commerce and Tourism |
| 16 December 1983 | Transfer of Industry from the Department of Industry and Energy |
| 17 December 1983 | Renamed as the Department of Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism |
| 18 February 1986 | Transfer of Tourism to the Department of Fisheries and Forestry |
| 19 February 1986 | Renamed as the Department of Industry and Commerce |
| 20 January 1993 | Transfer of Labour from the Department of Labour |
| 20 January 1993 | Transfer of Trade to the Department of Energy |
| 20 January 1993 | Renamed as the Department of Enterprise and Employment |
| 11 July 1997 | Transfer of Trade from the Department of Tourism and Trade |
| 12 July 1997 | Renamed as the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment |
| 1 May 2010 | Transfer of Skills to the Department of Education and Science |
| 1 May 2010 | Transfer of Research from the Department of Education and Science |
| 2 May 2010 | Renamed as the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation |
| 1 January 2011 | Transfer of Redundancy and Insolvency Payments to the Department of Social Protection |
| 1 June 2011 | Transfer of Trade to the Department of Foreign Affairs |
| 2 June 2011 | Renamed as the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation |
| 1 January 2013 | Transfer of Equality Tribunal from the Department of Justice and Equality |
| 1 September 2017 | Transfer of Employment Affairs and Employment Law to the Department of Social Protection |
| 2 September 2017 | Renamed as the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation |
| 23 September 2020 | Transfer of Trade from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade |
| 14 October 2020 | Transfer of Employment Affairs and Employment Law from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection |
| 10 November 2020 | Renamed as the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment |
| 1 January 2021 | Transfer of Research Policy and Programmes to the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science |
| 1 January 2021 | Transfer of Science Foundation Ireland (appointment of members) from the Department of Education |