‘Units’ in this database are national-level organisations which perform public functions under public authority. These include government departments, agencies, and commercial state-owned enterprises. For further details on the types of organisations included in the database, see the what we have done and why document.
Units can be searched by name, legal form, function, policy area, or date. On each unit’s page, information is available including dates of activity, alternate names, relevant legislation, related units, related events. and also data on characteristics such as legal form, policy area, function, accountability mechanisms, location, and parent bodies. For further details on the data recorded about each unit, see the Codebook
44 results
Name
| From
| To
| Description
| Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irish Prison Service | 1854-01-01 | McGauran et al. 2005; http://www.irishprisons.ie/; The Prison Service (Ireland) Act 1883; and various Prisons Acts 1933-2007 | ||
| Office of the Chief State Solicitor | 1924-06-01 | Is a constituent element of the Attorney General's Office | http://www.attorneygeneral.ie/csso/english/index.htm; The ministers and secretaries Act, 1924 (especially section 6) | |
| Hospitals Bodies Administrative Bureau | 1973-03-08 | 2005-01-01 | Merged into HSE | McGauran et al. 2005; S.I. No. 53/1973; Health Act 2004; S.I. No. 885/2004 |
| Forensic Science Ireland | 1975-01-01 | Named the Forensic Science Laboratory until November 2015 | McGauran et al. 2005; www.justice.ie; www.forensicscience.ie; Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DNA Database System) Act 2014; S.I. No. 508/2015 | |
| National Centre for Guidence in Education | 1995-06-01 | National Centre for Guidance in Education aims to develop and support quality guidance provision in the education sector as part of lifelong learning in accordance with national and international best practice | McGauran et al. 2005; http://www.ncge.ie/ | |
| Commission on School Accommodation | 1996-03-01 | 2011-01-01 | McGauran et al. 2005; Written answers, Thursday, 6 May 2010-- Department of Education and Science-School Accommodation; Written answers Wednesday, 22 June 2011, Department of Education and Skills - Schools Recognition; Written answers, Tuesday, 25 October 2011, Department of Education and Skills, Departmental Agencies | |
| Designated Areas Appeals Advisory Board | 1998-01-01 | https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/files/daaab-guidelines.pdf; Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Statement of Strategy 2008-2010; Written answers, Wednesday, 29 January 2014 - Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Special Protection Areas Appeals | ||
| National Educational Psychological Service Agency | 1999-09-01 | NEPS psychologists work with both primary and post-primary schools and are concerned with learning, behaviour, social and emotional development. Each psychologist is assigned to a group of schools. | McGauran et al. 2005; Seanad Éireann - Volume 164 - 05 December, 2000--Adjournment Matter. - Psychological Service; https://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/National-Educational-Psychological-Service-NEPS-/NEPS-Home-Page.html | |
| Ordnance Survey Ireland | 1824-01-01 | 2023-03-01 | Dates back to 1824 when the Ordnance Survey Office was set up. Ordnance Survey Ireland operated as part of the civil service under the Department of Finance from 1924 until 2002 when it became a commercial state enterprise under the Ordnance Survey Ireland Act 2001. Subsequently merged with the Property Registration Authority and the Valuation Office to form Tailte Éireann | McGauran et al. 2005; http://www.osi.ie/; Ordnance Survey Ireland Act 2001; S.I. No. 73/2002; Tailte Éireann Act 2022 (No. 50 of 2022); S.I. No. 58/2023; https://http://www.valoff.ie/en/about-us/tailte-eireann/ |
| Public Appointments Service | 2004-10-19 | Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004; http://www.publicjobs.ie/ | ||
| Financial Services Ombudsman Bureau | 2005-04-01 | 2018-01-01 | In January 2018 Financial Services Ombudsman Bureau and Office of the Pensions Ombudsman merged to form the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) | Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland Act 2004; http://www.financialombudsman.ie/; www.fspo.ie; Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman Act 2017; S.I. No. 524/2017 |
| Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service | 2005-04-01 | http://www.inis.gov.ie/ | ||
| Welfare Service | 1969-01-01 | 1979-01-01 | As a service was established in 1962 under the title: 'Probation and After-Care Service'. In 1969 was re-named to the 'Welfare Service'. In 1979 was re-named to the 'Probation and Welfare Service' | http://www.probation.ie/ |
| Office for Health Management | 1997-06-01 | 2005-01-01 | McGauran et al. 2005; Health Act 2004; OHM Annual reports, available at https://pnd.hseland.ie/corp/ohmpublications/ohmpublications.html, and newsletter at https://pnd.hseland.ie/corp/ohmpublications/newsletter/20050315163637.html | |
| Probation and Welfare Service | 1979-01-01 | 2006-06-26 | Previously known as the 'Welfare Service'. In 1979 was re-named to the 'Probation and Welfare Service'. Restructured as the 'Probation Service' in 2006. The Probation of Offenders Act (1907) provided for statutory supervision of offenders in the community and is the foundation for probation work in Ireland. | McGauran et al. 2005; Criminal Justice (Community Service) Act 1983; Criminal Justice Act 2006; http://www.probation.ie/ |
| State Paper Office | 1702-01-01 | 1988-06-01 | Merge into National Archives | IPA Yearbooks; http://www.nationalarchives.ie/about-us/history/; The National Archives Act 1986 |
| Eastern Health Shared Services | 2000-03-01 | 2005-01-01 | Merged into HSE | Health Act 2004; http://web.archive.org/web/20020812001530/www.ehss.ie/frames/about/index.html |
| Probation Service | 2006-06-26 | Replaced the 'Probation and Welfare Service' in 2006 | Criminal Justice Act 2006; http://www.probation.ie/ | |
| Probation and After-Care Service | 1962-01-01 | 1969-01-01 | Probation officers can be traced back to the 1907 Probation of Offenders Act; but no separate agency/service was established. As a service was established in 1962 under the title: 'Probation and After-Care Service'. In 1969 was reorganized and re-named the 'Welfare Service'. | Probation of Offenders Act 1907; Criminal Justice (Administration) Act 1914; Criminal Justice Act 1960; http://www.probation.ie/ |
| Directorate for Asylum Support Services | 1999-11-01 | 2001-04-02 | Merged w/ Refugee Agency to form the Reception and Integration Agency in 2001. Before November 1999 the Eastern Health Board was responsible for the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers. | Dáil Éireann - Volume 528 - 12 December, 2000--Written Answers. - Accommodation for Asylum Seekers; Dáil Éireann - Volume 532 - 06 March, 2001--Written Answers. - Asylum Support Services; http://www.ria.gov.ie/ |
| National Disease Surveillance Centre | 1998-10-01 | 2005-01-01 | Name change in 2005 to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre as part of its move into the Health Service Executive | McGauran et al. 2005; SI 151/2000; SI 865/2004; http://web.archive.org/web/20001216224100/www.ndsc.ie/who_is_ndsc.htm; Written Answers. - National Disease Surveillance Centre. Wednesday, 24 May 2000, Dáil Eireann Debate, Vol. 519 No. 6 |
| Office for Social Inclusion | 2002-12-01 | 2009-07-01 | Absorbed into the Dept. of Social and Family Affairs as the Social Inclusion Division | http://www.socialinclusion.ie/; http://www.welfare.ie/; DSFA Annual Reports 2004-2007; National Action Plan against Poverty and Social Exclusion: 2003–2005; Social Inclusion Division Strategic Plan 2009 -2011 |
| Eradication of Animal Disease Board | 1988-04-01 | 1992-04-01 | Dáil Éireann - Volume 407 - 18 April, 1991; Dáil Éireann - Volume 429 - 29 April, 1993--Bovine Diseases (Levies) Regulations, 1993: Motion | |
| Land Registry | 1892-01-01 | 2006-11-04 | Land Registry - pre-independence body that was subsumed into Home Affairs in 1922 and then Justice. Merged into Property Registration Authority in 2006 | http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PR07000396; Dáil Éireann - Volume 588 - 06 July, 2004--Written Answers. - Departmental Bodies |
| Registry of Deeds | 1707-01-01 | 2006-11-04 | Merged with Land Registry into Property Registration Authority | http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PR07000396; http://www.landregistry.ie/eng/About_Us/Registry_of_Deeds_Services/ |
| National Council for Forest Research and Development | 1993-04-15 | Merged back into Dept in 2009 but still an entity within it | McGauran et al. 2005; Dáil Éireann - Volume 588 - 06 July, 2004--Written Answers. - Departmental Bodies; http://www.coford.ie/ | |
| National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence | 2007-06-25 | 0000-00-00 | In August 2019, the Department of Justice implemented a significant Transformation Programme, most notably in response to the recommendations of the Effectiveness and Renewal Group which was established by Government in January 2018. The Department's work was previously structured by subject areas relating to different parts of the Justice and Equality sector. Cosc - The National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence was an example of this | http://www.cosc.ie/; Dáil Éireann - Volume 639 - 09 October, 2007--Written Answers. - Departmental Agencies |
| Irish Youth Justice Service | 2005-12-01 | http://www.iyjs.ie/; Dáil Éireann - Volume 646 - 05 February, 2008--Written Answers. - Departmental Bodies | ||
| Government Information Services | 1973-04-01 | Change in office title associated with appointment of Muiris MacConghail as the Head of GIB/GIS in April 1973 | Dáil Éireann - Volume 269 - 14 December, 1973--Committee on Finance. - Vote No. 3: Department of the Taoiseach (Resumed); http://www.merrionstreet.ie/ | |
| Social Welfare Appeals Office | 1990-09-01 | Set up under the Programme for Government 1989-1993 | McGauran et al. 2005; http://www.socialwelfareappeals.ie/; Dáil Éireann - Volume 399 - 29 May, 1990--Written Answers. - Social Welfare Appeals Office | |
| State Pathologist's Office | 1929-01-01 | http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/State_Pathologist%27s_Office; Dáil Éireann - Volume 62 - 17 June, 1936--Committee on Finance. - Vote 32—Office of the Minister for Justice (Resumed); Obituary, John McGrath, M.D. M.Sc., British Medical Journal, 26 Jan. 1957 (http://www.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/1/5012/232.pdf) | ||
| Culture Ireland | 2005-02-01 | 2013-01-31 | Note: Plans announced in Feb 2007 to make Culture Ireland a statutory body never materialised. On 31 Jan. 2013, a Delegation Order delegated the functions of directing Culture Ireland to a Principal Officer within the Dept. of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. | http://www.cultureireland.ie/; Dept. of Public Expenditure and Reform 'Summary of agency rationalisation measures as at January 2014', Table B http://per.gov.ie/summary-of-agency-rationalisation-measures-as-at-january-2014/; Written answers, Thursday, 7 March 2013 - Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Departmental Appointments |
| Geological Survey of Ireland | 1845-01-01 | Geological Survey Act 1845; Ministers and Secretaries 1924; http://www.gsi.ie/ | ||
| Met Éireann | 1936-12-01 | McGauran et al. 2005; http://www.met.ie/; Meteorological Services (Re-distribution of Public Services) Order, 1936 (SR & O No 276 of 1936) and later reassignments - eg Communications (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) (No. 2) Order, 1987; Dáil Éireann - Volume 647 - 13 February, 2008--Written Answers. - Departmental Bodies | ||
| Central Statistics Office | 1949-06-01 | McGauran et al. 2005; http://www.cso.ie/; Statistics Act 1993 | ||
| General Register Office | 1845-04-01 | n/a | McGauran et al. 2005; www.groireland.ie; Marriages (Ireland) Act 1844; Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1863 | |
| Office for Internet Safety | 2008-03-01 | 2019-06-30 | The functions of the Office for Internet Safety have been incorporated into the Cybercrime division of the Department of Justice and Equality | http://www.internetsafety.ie/; www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Cybercrime;www.oireachtas.ie/ga/debates/question/2018-02-06/250/ |
| National Botanic Gardens | 1878-01-01 | Gardens originally founded in 1795, came into state control in 1878. | Ministers and Secs. 1924; S.I. No. 6/1992; S.I. No. 356/2002; http://www.botanicgardens.ie/ | |
| Inspector of Prisons and Places of Detention | 2002-04-01 | 2007-11-21 | First suggestions on appointment of an inspector of prisons in Ireland can be traced back to 1985 - 'The Whitaker report' | Prisons Act 2007; Dáil Éireann - Volume 560 - 04 February, 2003--Written Answers. - Inspector of Prisons; http://www.inspectorofprisons.gov.ie/ |
| Office of the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defensive Measures | 1939-09-08 | 1945-06-18 | Minister without portfolio | Ministers and Secretaries Act 1939; Dáil Éireann - Volume 108 - 09 October, 1947--Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - New Ministries and Parliamentary Secretaryships |
| Victims of Crime Office | 2008-09-01 | http://www.victimsofcrimeoffice.ie/; Written answers, Wednesday, 12 February 2014, Department of Justice and Equality - Departmental Bodies | ||
| Ireland Newfoundland Partnership | 2001-04-01 | 2009-01-01 | Written Answers - Ireland Newfoundland Partnership, Tuesday, 2 November 2010, Dáil Éireann Debate, Vol. 720 No. 3; http://web.archive.org/web/20070217141232/http://www.inp.ie/; Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes, Volume II: Detailed Papers | |
| Oberstown Children Detention Campus | 2016-06-01 | Under the Children (Amendment) Act 2015 child detention schools in the state were amalgamated into one national detention campus. | www.oberstown.com; Children (Amendment) Act 2015; S.I. No. 273/2016 | |
| Office of the Paymaster General | 1861-01-01 | The Office of the Paymaster General, including its Ireland-related functions, was formed in 1861 with the merger of a number of pre-existing offices, including the Paymaster of the Civil Service in Ireland. The Office continued in being post-independence. The Office has two operational arms: one provides a banking service to Departments and Offices while the other pays pensions on an agency basis to certain retired civil servants, office holders and VEC staff. The Office is administered from within the Department of Finance | https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Belfast/issue/39/page/379; First Part of the Schedule to the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 (No. 16 of 1924); https://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2012-01-31.867.0 |