‘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
31 results
Name
| From
| To
| Description
| Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General | 1923-01-11 | McGauran et al. 2005; http://audgen.gov.ie/; Comptroller and Auditor General Act, 1923; DÁIL EIREANN. Tuairisc Choiste ar Cheapa Árd-Sgrúdóra. 11th January, 1923 | ||
| Office of the Revenue Commissioners | 1923-02-21 | The Revenue Commissioners took over functions previously performed by two UK-wide bodies—the Commissioners of Inland Revenue and the Commissioners of Customs and Excise | McGauran et al. 2005; www.revenue.ie; S.I. No. 2/1923--Revenue Commissioners Order 1923, dated 21/2/1923; https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1923-02-20/13/ | |
| Office of the Attorney General (II) | 1924-06-01 | McGauran et al. 2005; http://www.attorneygeneral.ie/; The ministers and secretaries Act, 1924 (especially section 6) | ||
| Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions | 1974-07-23 | McGauran et al. 2005; http://www.dppireland.ie/; Prosecution of Offences Act 1974 | ||
| Office of the Ombudsman | 1983-07-07 | Legislation created the office in 1980; the first Ombudsman took up office in 1984 following passing of I.R. Uimh. 424/1983 — An tOrdú um an Acht Ombudsman, 1980 (An Lá Ceaptha), 1983. | McGauran et al. 2005; http://ombudsman.gov.ie/en/; The Ombudsman Act 1980; I.R. Uimh. 424/1983 — An tOrdú um an Acht Ombudsman, 1980 (An Lá Ceaptha), 1983. | |
| Office of the Appeal Commissioners | 1968-03-26 | 2016-03-21 | Replaced Special Commissioners, replaced by the Tax Appeals Commission. | McGauran et al. 2005; http://www.appealcommissioners.ie/; Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1968; Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997; Finance (Tax Appeals) Act 2015; S.I. No. 111/2016 |
| North/South Ministerial Council | 1999-03-08 | McGauran et al. 2005; British-Irish Agreement Act 1999; http://www.northsouthministerialcouncil.org/ | ||
| Standards in Public Office Commission | 2001-12-10 | Replaced the Public Offices Commission, which was established in 1995 on the basis of the Ethics in Public Office Act 1995 | McGauran et al. 2005; Standards in Public Office Act 2001; http://www.sipo.gov.ie/ | |
| Office of the Ombudsman for Children | 2003-12-18 | http://www.oco.ie/; Ombudsman for Children Act 2002; S.I. No. 712/2003 | ||
| Office of the Pensions Ombudsman | 2003-09-02 | 2018-01-01 | In January 2018 the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman and Financial Services Ombudsman Bureau merged to form the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO) | McGauran et al. 2005; http://www.pensionsombudsman.ie/; Pensions Act 1990; Pensions (Amendment) Act 2002; pensions Ombudsman Regulations (S.I. No. 397/2003); www.fspo.ie; Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman Act 2017; S.I. No. 524/2017 |
| Ombudsman for the Defence Forces | 2005-08-31 | Ombudsman (Defence Forces) Act 2004; http://odf.ie/; S.I. No. 568/2005 | ||
| Public Trustee | 1903-11-01 | 1992-01-01 | Irish Land Act 1903; Public Trustee Rules, 1904, 1908, 1927 (S.I. No. 14/1927) and 1947 (S.I. No. 94/1947); Seanad Éireann - Volume 134 - 21 October, 1992--Irish Land Commission (Dissolution) Bill, 1989: Second Stage | |
| Garda Síochána | 1923-08-08 | Created from merge of Dublin Metropolitan Police and Royal Irish Constabulary | Gárda Síochána (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1923; Garda Síochána Act, 1924; http://www.garda.ie/ | |
| Office of Public Works | 1831-08-01 | Also known as Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland; includes the Government Supplies Agency | McGauran et al. 2005; www.opw.ie; Ministers and Secretaries Act, 1924 | |
| Special Commissioners | 1842-01-01 | 1968-03-26 | Replaced by Appeal Commissioners | Finance Acts, 1923-1968; Dail Eireann - Volume 588 - 06 July 2004--Written Answers. - Departmental Agencies |
| Tax Appeals Commission | 2016-03-21 | Replaced the Office of the Appeal Commissioners | www.taxappeals.ie; Finance (Tax Appeals) Act 2015; S.I. No. 111/2016 | |
| Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman | 2018-01-01 | Result of merger of the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman and Financial Services Ombudsman Bureau in January 2018 | www.fspo.ie; Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman Act 2017; S.I. No. 524/2017 | |
| National Shared Services Office | 2018-01-01 | The National Shared Services Office (NSSO) is a Scheduled Body which is a Shared Services provider for HR, pensions and payroll administration for Government Departments and Bodies. | www.gov.ie; National Shared Services Office Act 2017; S.I. No. 579/2017 | |
| Office of the Planning Regulator | 2019-04-03 | www.opr.ie; Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2018; S.I. No. 133/2019 | ||
| Office of the President of the Executive Council | 1922-12-06 | 1924-06-02 | An Office of the President of the Executive Council existed prior to the establishment of a Department of the President of the Executive Council in June 1924 | Chubb 1970; Comptroller and Auditor General Appropriation Report 1923-1924: https://www.audit.gov.ie/en/find-report/publications/appropriation%20accounts/appropriation-accounts-1923-24.pdf |
| Office of the Chairman of the Provisional Government | 1922-01-10 | 1922-12-06 | An Office of the Chairman of the Provisional Government is assumed to have preceded the Office of the President of the Executive Council, the position created under the Saorstát Constitution effective 6 December 1922 | Chubb 1970 |
| Office of the Postmaster General | 1922-04-22 | 1924-06-02 | Replaced by the Department of Posts and Telegraphs under the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 (No. 16 of 1924) | Chubb 1970; Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 (No. 16 of 1924) |
| Office of the Law Officer | 1922-01-10 | 1922-09-09 | Hugh Kennedy was the first Law Officer, serving under the Provisional Government and, later, as Attorney General | Chubb 1970 |
| Office of the Attorney General (I) | 1922-09-09 | 1924-06-02 | Replaced the previous position of Law Officer. Hugh Kennedy continued in post as Attorney General | Chubb 1970 |
| Inspector of Reformatory and Industrial Schools | 1909-04-01 | 2007-03-01 | The Inspector of Reformatory and Industrial Schools was a Ministerial appointee mandated to inspect 'certified schools' under the Children Act 1908. The position likely fell into abeyance by c. 2000, following closure of the remaining certified schools in the late 1990s. The 1908 Act itself (including the inspector provisions) was fully repealed in 2007 | Children Act 1908 (8 Edw. 7. c. 67) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1908/67/pdfs/ukpga_19080067_en.pdf; Schedule 2 of the Children Act 2001 (No. 24 of 2001); Children Act 2001 (Commencement) Order 2007 (S.I. No. 64/2007); http://www.childabusecommission.ie/ |
| Inspectorate of Factories | 1901-01-01 | 1956-10-01 | The Inspectors of Factories were appointed under the Factory and Workshop Act 1901. The Chief and District Inspector were vested with statutory powers specified under the Act. Their post-independence remit included health and safety, as well as wage-related, compliance. Upon independence, the Irish inspectors are assumed to have initially transferred to the Ministry of Labour and later to Industry and Commerce. The Factories Inspectorate was administratively merged with the Mines and Quarries Inspectorate, creating the Industrial Inspectorate, by 1971 | Factory and Workshop Act 1901 (1 Edw. VII, c. 22); Factories Act 1955 (No. 10 of 1955); S.I. No. 160/1956; http://www.tara.tcd.ie/bitstream/handle/2262/4520/jssisiVolXv45_53.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y; Houses of the Oireachtas Library, Annual Report of the Industrial Inspectorate for 1 June 1970 to 31 December 1971 |
| Industrial Inspectorate | 1956-10-01 | 1989-11-01 | An administrative merger of the Factories Inspectorate and the Quarries and Mines Inspectorate by 1971 created a new regime for industrial, particularly health and safety, inspections. This was administered by an Industrial Inspectorate in the Department of Labour. Functions subsequently assumed by the National Authority for Occupational Safety and Health | Factories Act 1955 (No. 10 of 1955); Mines and Quarries Act 1965 (No. 7 of 1965); S.I. No. 73/1970; Annual Reports of the Industrial Inspectorate, Houses of the Oireachtas Library; Section 4 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989 (No. 7 of 1989); S.I. No. 236/1989 |
| Office of Arms | 1552-02-02 | 1943-04-01 | The Office of Arms was Ireland's oldest Office of State, formally established in the 16th century to perform heraldic and genealogical functions. The Office was peculiar in that it retained a direct link to the British Crown through its officeholder until 1943, when it was transferred to the Irish public administration | S. Hood, 'Royal Roots, Republican Inheritance: The Survival of the Office of Arms' (2002, Woodfield Press) ('Hood') |
| Mines and Quarries Inspectorate | 1894-08-25 | 1970-01-01 | An inspectorate responsible for mines and quarries was established in 1894. This built on an inspectorate previously responsible for mines only. Upon independence, the Irish inspectors are assumed to have initially transferred to the Ministry of Labour and later to Industry and Commerce. Reference is made to the pre-independence legislation in the Mines and Quarries Act 1965 (No. 7 of 1965). The Mines and Quarries Inspectorate was administratively merged with the Inspectorate of Factories to form the Industrial Inspectorate by 1971 | Quarries Act, 1894 (57 & 58 Vict.), Ch 42; Metalliferous Mines Regulation Act, 1872 (35 & 36 Vict.), Ch. 77; Mines and Quarries Act, 1965 (No. 7 of 1965); Houses of the Oireachtas Library, Annual Report of the Industrial Inspectorate for 1 June 1970 to 31 December 1971 |
| Office of the Registrar of Petty Sessions Clerks | 1858-08-02 | 1923-03-27 | The Office of the Registrar of Petty Sessions Clerks was responsible for regulating, in particular, the fees payable to clerks appointed by judges of lower courts, known as Petty Sessions. The Registrar was previously known as the Clerk of Fines and Penalties. Replaced by the Office of the Registrar of District Court Clerks in 1923 | Petty Sessions Clerk (Ireland) Act, 1858 (c. 100); District Justices (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1923 (No. 6 of 1923) |
| Office of the Chief Deciding Officer of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme | 2024-03-04 | The Chief Deciding Officer is mandated to make determinations relating to payment eligibility and related matters under the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme | Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Act 2023 (No. 20 of 2023); S.I. No. 67/2024; S.I. No. 68/2024 |