Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Seat of the Department above the Dublin bus terminal
Department overview
Formed 22 January 1947 (1947-01-22)
Jurisdiction Government of Ireland
Headquarters Áras Mhic Dhiarmada,
Store Street,
Dublin 1, D01 WY03
53°20′59″N 6°15′8″W / 53.34972°N 6.25222°W / 53.34972; -6.25222
Employees 5,175
Minister responsible
Department executive
Website welfare.ie

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Irish: An Roinn Gnóthaí Fostaíochta agus Coimirce Sóisialaí) is a department of the Government of Ireland, tasked with administering Ireland's welfare system. It oversees the provision of income support and other social services. It is led by the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection who is assisted by two Ministers of State.

Departmental team

The official headquarters and ministerial offices of the department are in Áras Mhic Dhiarmada, Store Street, Dublin. The departmental team consists of the following:

Overview

In carrying out its mandate the department undertakes a variety of functions including:

The department formulates appropriate social protection policies and administers and manages the delivery of statutory and non-statutory schemes and services. It is responsible for the delivery of a range of social insurance and social assistance schemes including provision for unemployment, illness, maternity, caring, widowhood, retirement and old age. Payments are made to nearly 950,000 people each week with over 1.5 million people directly benefiting from those payments. The budget spend in 2002 was €9.52 billion.In 2010 it will be in excess of 13.59 billion

Payments are generally divided into three groups:

  • Social Insurance (or contributory) payments which are made on the basis of PRSI Contributions.
  • Social Assistance (or non-contributory) payments which are made on the basis of satisfying a means test.
  • Universal payments (such as Child Benefit or Free Travel) which are not dependent on PRSI contributions or a means test.

Agencies

  • Citizens Information Board
  • The Pensions Authority
  • Office of the Pensions Ombudsman

Statutes

The department was created by the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act, 1946 as the Department of Social Welfare.

Statute Effect
1946 Act Establishment of the Department of Social Welfare
S.I. No. 214/1966 Transfer of Labour to the Department of Labour
S.I. No. 307/1997 Renamed as the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs
S.I. No. 310/2002 Renamed as the Department of Social and Family Affairs
S.I. No. 327/2002 Transfer of Community to the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs
S.I. No. 186/2010 Renamed as the Department of Social Protection
S.I. No. 190/2010 Transfer of Family to the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs
S.I. No. 361/2017 Transfer of Labour from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
S.I. No. 366/2017 Renamed as the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

References

  1. ↑ "The Secretary General, Ms Niamh O'Donoghue". Department of Social Protection. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
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