There was a Ministry of Finance in the
Ministry of Dáil Éireann of the
Irish Republic established on 22 January 1919. 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: The Schedule assigned it the following bodies: • The business and functions formerly administered, and discharged by the British Treasury in Ireland. • The
Revenue Commissioners. • The Paymaster General and Deputy Paymaster for Ireland. • The Government Actuary. • The Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland. • The Civil Service Commission. • The Commissioner of Valuation and Boundary Surveyor for Ireland. • The Ordnance Survey. • The Superintendent of the Teachers' Pension Office. • The Stationery Office. • The Old Age Pensions, save as regards appeals governed by Statute. • The Post Office Savings Bank (administered through the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs as agent). • The Registrar of Friendly Societies. The Department of Finance has retained its title since its establishment. It is the only department mentioned in the
Constitution of Ireland. In 1973, its public service functions were transferred to the new
Department of the Public Service. Until 1980, the position of the Minister for the Public Service was required by law to be assigned to the Minister for Finance. In 1987, these functions were transferred back to the Department of Finance. In 1980, the functions of the
Department of Economic Planning (established in 1977) were transferred to the Department of Finance. These functions are principally to promote and co-ordinate economic and social planning, including sectoral and regional planning, to identify development policies, to review the methods adopted by departments of state to implement such policies and generally to advise the government on economic and social planning matters. In July 2011, the
Department of Public Expenditure and Reform was established, and a considerable number of the functions of the Department of Finance were transferred to that department. ==Secretaries of the Department==