Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment () is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment who is assisted by two Ministers of State. Overview. The official headquarters and ministerial offices of the department are at 23 Kildare Street, Dublin 2. It is one of the most important economic departments in the Irish Government, responsible for the implementation of policy in five key areas: 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: 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: 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 Schedule assigned it with the duties of the following bodies: