Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport


The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport 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, Tourism and Sport who is assisted by one Minister of State.

Departmental team

The official headquarters and ministerial offices of the department are in Leeson Lane, Dublin 2, D02 TR60. It also has offices in Killarney and Loughrea. The departmental team consists of the following:

State Agencies

Among the State Agencies that report to, are appointed by the Minister, or are otherwise affiliated to the department are:
Among the state-sponsored bodies sponsored by the Minister are:
The Department of Transport and Power was created by the Ministers and Secretaries 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 Act 1983.
DateEffect
27 July 1959Establishment of the Department of Transport and Power
27 July 1959Transfer of Transport, Fuel and Power from the Department of Industry and Commerce
13 September 1977Transfer of Energy to the Department of Industry and Commerce
23 September 1977Renamed as the Department of Tourism and Transport
25 January 1980Transfer of Tourism to the Department of Industry, Commerce and Tourism
25 January 1980Renamed as the Department of Transport
2 January 1984Department abolished under the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1983,
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 Department of the Public Service was renamed as the Department of Tourism and Transport, and the substantive functions of the Department of the Public Service were transferred to the Department of Finance; therefore, the current Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport is formally a successor to the Department of the Public Service established in 1973.

Alteration of name and transfer of functions