Unit Information

‘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

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42 results

Name
From
To
Description
Source
Office of Public Works1831-08-01Also 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
National Building Agency Ltd.1960-12-13McGauran et al. 2005; National Building Agency Limited Act 1963; National Building Agency Limited (Amendment) Act 1969; National Building Agency Limited (Amendment) Act 1974; CRO
An Bord Pleanála1977-01-01McGauran et al. 2005; http://www.pleanala.ie/; Local Government (Planning and Development) Act 1976; S.I. No. 308/1976; Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2006; Building Control Act 1990.
Housing Finance Agency plc1982-02-08McGauran et al. 2005; http://www.hfa.ie/; Housing Finance Agency Act 1981
Building Regulations Advisory Body1991-12-042012-06-13Was re-appointed for a five-year term in January 2002 by S.I. No.2/2002. The Minister appointed the final BRAB on 14th June 2007 for a period of 5 years, expiring on 13th June 2012. BRAB was subsumed into the Department.McGauran et al. 2005; http://www.environ.ie/en/DevelopmentandHousing/BuildingStandards/BRAB/; Building Control Act 1990; S.I. No.2/2002; www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2013-01-16/840; www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2017-05-09a.576
Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government2003-06-102011-05-02http://www.environ.ie/; S.I. No. 233/2003; S.I. No. 193/2011
Dublin Dockland Development Authority1997-05-012016-03-01Dissolved McGauran et al. 2005; http://www.dublindocklands.ie/; Dublin Docklands Development Authority Act 1997; Dublin Docklands Development Authority (Dissolution) Act 2015; S.I. No. 113/2016
Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs1997-07-122002-06-19S.I. No. 307/1997; S.I. No. 310 of 2002; http://www.welfare.ie/
Private Residential Tenancies Board2004-09-012016-04-07Replaced by the Residential Tenancies BoardResidential Tenancies Act 2004; http://www.prtb.ie/; www.rtb.ie; Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015; S.I. No. 151/2016
Affordable Homes Partnership2005-08-012010-12-31The Housing & Sustainable Communities Agency has taken on some of the functions of the Affordable Homes PartnershipSI 383 of 2005; SI 293 of 2007; www.housing.ie/; Written Answers - State Agencies--Thursday, 20 January 2011
Grangegorman Development Agency2006-05-10The Grangegorman Development Agency (GDA) is a statutory agency established in 2006 to redevelop the former St. Brendan’s Hospital grounds in Dublin City Centre. http://www.ggda.ie/; Grangegorman Development Agency Act 2005; S.I. No. 252/2006
Department of Local Government and Public Health1924-06-011947-01-22Health and Welfare functions lost to new departments in 1947http://www.environ.ie/; Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924; S.I. No. 16/1947
Department of the Environment and Local Government1997-07-222003-06-09S.I. No. 322/1997; S.I. No. 233 of 2003; Coakley & Gallagher 2005
Department of the Environment1977-08-171997-07-21S.I. No. 269/1977; S.I. No. 322/1997; Coakley & Gallagher 2005
Department of Local Government 1947-01-221977-08-16http://www.environ.ie/; Coakley & Gallagher 2005; No. 16/1947; S.I. No. 269/1977
Irish Land Commission1881-08-221999-03-31Existed under various forms under British government since 1881; took on some of the functions of the Congested Districts Board under Land Law (Commission) Act, 1923Land Law (Ireland) Act 1881; Land Law (Commission) Act, 1923; Irish Land Commission (Dissolution) Act, 1992; S.I. No. 75/1999; Seanad Éireann - Volume 134 - 21 October, 1992--Irish Land Commission (Dissolution) Bill, 1989: Second Stage
Rent Tribunal1983-08-022016-01-08From 1 October 2009, administrative support services to the Rent Tribunal were provided by the PRTB and the Rent Tribunal was located at the offices of the PRTB. On 8 January 2016 the Rent Tribunal was absorbed into the Residential Tenancies Board.McGauran et al., 2005; Housing (Private Rented Dwellings) (Amendment) Act 1983; S.I. No. 220/1983; S.I. No. 222/1983; S.I No.140/1988; Written answers--Tuesday, 30 June 2009- Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government-- Private Rented Accommodation; Written answers--Tuesday, 23 March 2010 Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government--Private Residential Tenancies Board; www.rtb.ie; Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015; S.I. No. 151/2016; S.I. No. 4/2016
Centre for Housing Research2006-03-012010-05-01Replaced housing unit which was set up as a joint initiative between Department and the local authorities in 1998; Administered by IPA until replacement by Housing and Sustainable Communities AgencyDáil Éireann - Volume 616 - 08 March, 2006--Written Answers. - Social and Affordable Housing; Written Answers - State Agencies--Thursday, 20 January 2011
Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs2010-06-022011-06-02S.I. No. 215/2010; S.I. No. 214/2011
Quit Rent Office1641-01-011943-01-01Absorbed into Irish Land Commission in 1943.Dáil Éireann - Volume 70 - 30 March, 1938; Committee on Finance. - Vote 30—Quit Rent Office; Dáil Éireann - Volume 93 - 26 April, 1944--Estimates for Public Services. - Vote 52—Lands
Landlord and Tenant Commission1966-01-201982-01-01Dáil Éireann - Volume 258 - 17 February, 1972--Ceisteanna—Questions Oral Answers. - Departmental and semi-State Body Reports; Dáil Éireann - Volume 326 - 19 February, 1981--Ceisteanna — Questions Oral Answers - Landlord and Tenant Act
National Building Advisory Council1963-05-011969-07-22The Council was established in May, 1963. It was incorporated as a Company on 15th December, 1964 under the Companies Act, 1963. Eventually absorbed into An Foras Forbartha. Dáil Éireann - Volume 226 - 15 February, 1967--Written Answers. - State-Sponsored Bodies; Dáil Éireann - Volume 221 - 16 March, 1966--Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Building Advisory Council; Dáil Éireann - Volume 231 - 06 December, 1967--Committee on Finance. - Vote 26—Local Government (Resumed); CRO
Housing & Sustainable Communities Agency2010-05-01Set up to take over the functions of the Affordable Homes Partnership, the Centre for Housing Research, the Homeless Agency and the National Building Agency.http://www.housing.ie/; S.I. No. 264/2012
Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government2011-05-022016-07-23Creation: S.I. No. 193/2011, Termination: S.I. No. 394/2016; http://www.environ.ie/
Pyrite Resolution Board 2014-01-10Pyrite Resolution Act 2013; http://www.pyriteboard.ie/
Irish Water2013-03-29Water Services Act 2013; S.I. No. 108/2013; http://www.water.ie/; CRO Registered Company No. 530363
Ervia2014-06-20Holding company for Gas Networks Ireland and Irish WaterESB (Electronic Communications Networks) Act 2014; S.I. No. 287/2014
Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government2016-07-232017-08-01Creation of new Department following 2016 General Election. Successor of Department of the Environment, Community and Local GovernmentS.I. No. 394/2016 - Environment, Community and Local Government (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2016, http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2016/si/394 www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2016-05-06/8/
Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government2017-08-012020-09-30New Department after Leo Varadker takes over as Taoiseach; succeeds Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government. Community function formally transferred to Department of Community and Rural Affairs in 2018. Succeeded by Department of Housing, Local Government and HeritageS.I. No. 358/2017 - Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2017, http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2017/si/358 Also http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2018/si/165/made/en/print; S.I. No. 408/2020
Residential Tenancies Board2016-04-07Replaced the Private Residential Tenancies Board and absorbed functions of the Rent Tribunal. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019 provided the RTB with additional powers to regulate the rental sector, including a new investigations and sanctions unit www.rtb.ie; Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015; S.I. No. 151/2016; S.I. No. 4/2016; Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019
National Rural Water Services Committee2008-12-152018-06-11In June 2018 the National Rural Water Services merged with the Public Water Forum to form The Water ForumWater Services Act 2007; S.I. No. 522/2008; Water Services Act 2017; S.I. No. 193/2018
Public Water Forum2015-05-292018-06-11In June 2018 the Public Water Forum merged with the National Rural Water Services Committee to form The Water ForumWater Services Act 2014; S.I. No. 234/2015; Water Services Act 2017; S.I. No. 193/2018
The Water Forum2018-06-11Created by a merge of the Public Water Forum and National Rural Water Services Committeewww.nationalwaterforum.ie; Water Services Act 2017; S.I. No. 193/2018
Office of the Planning Regulator2019-04-03www.opr.ie; Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2018; S.I. No. 133/2019
Home Building Finance Ireland2018-12-05www.hbfi.ie; Home Building Finance Ireland Act 2018; S.I. No. 518/2018
Land Development Agency2018-09-142022-03-31www.lda.ie; S.I. No. 352/2018; S.I. No. 144/2022
Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage2020-09-30Replaced Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government; https://www.housing.gov.ie/ S.I. No. 408/2020
Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority2021-02-01The general functions of the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority ('the Regulator') are to: (a) establish and maintain a register of approved housing bodies (AHBs); (b) register persons as AHBs; (c) prepare draft standards for approval by the Minister and publish the approved standards; (d) monitor and assess compliance by AHBs, in particular the approved standards; (e) carry out investigations; (f) protect tenants and AHBs and cancel the registration of AHBs; (g) encourage and facilitate the better governance, administration and management, including corporate governance and financial management, of AHBs by the provision of such information and advice, in such form and manner, as the Regulator considers appropriate; (h) with a view to promoting awareness and understanding, make available such information as appears to the Regulator to be expedient to give to the public; (i) collect such information concerning AHBs as the Regulator considers necessary and appropriate for the purposes of the performance of the Regulator’s functions; and (j) publish such information (including statistical information) concerning AHBs as the Regulator considers appropriateSection 7 of the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 (No. 47 of 2019); S.I. No. 27/2021
Ministry of Local Government 1922-01-101924-06-02Predated Saorstát Éireann.'Departments of State' referred to in general terms under Constitution of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Eireann) Act, 1922. Subsequently replaced by Department of Local Government and Public Health under the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 (No. 16 of 1924)Article 56 and the 'Transitory Provisions' of the Schedule to the Constitution of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Eireann) Act, 1922 (No. 1 of 1922); Chubb 1970; https://www.gov.ie/ga/foilsiuchan/99eec5-second-dail/#second-dail-2nd-ministry-post-treaty
Local Government Board for Ireland1872-08-101924-06-02The Local Government Board for Ireland took over the functions of the Irish Poor Law Commissioners with respect to Boards of Guardians of Poor Law Unions, and also dealt with urban municipal government (town commissioners and borough corporations). The Board continued for a time post-independence, though its personnel and functions were moved to other parts of the Government administration. The Board's functions appear to have been formally subsumed into the Department of Local Government and Public Health by 1924Local Government Board (Ireland) Act 1872; Third Part of the Schedule to the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 (No. 16 of 1924); Mary E. Daly, 'The Buffer State: The Historical Roots of the Department of the Environment' (Institute of Public Administration, 1997)
Land Development Agency (II)2022-03-31The Land Development Agency (II) is the successor to the prior Land Development Agency, reconstituted and conferred with expanded functions Land Development Agency Act 2021 (No. 26 of 2021); S.I. No. 143/2022
An Ghníomhaireacht um Fhoréigean Baile, Gnéasach agus Inscnebhunaithe2024-01-01Cuan is tasked with planning, coordinating and monitoring the development of refuge accommodation for victims of domestic, sexual or gender-based violence, and to perform related functionsDomestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency Act 2023 (No. 31 of 2023); S.I. No. 668/2023; https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/1da52-minister-mcentee-opens-cuan-the-new-statutory-domestic-sexual-and-gender-based-violence-agency/