The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Irish: An Roinn Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil agus Oidhreachta) is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
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Departmental team
The departmental team consists of the following:
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage: James Browne, TD
Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with special responsibility for local government and planning: John Cummins, TD
Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with special responsibility for nature, heritage and biodiversity: Christopher O'Sullivan, TD
Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage with special responsibility for housing: Kieran O'Donnell, TD
Secretary General of the Department: Graham Doyle
Overview
The headquarters and ministerial offices of the department are in The Custom House, Dublin 1. The department also has offices in Wexford and Ballina, County Mayo, with the headquarters of Met Éireann, the weather forecasting service, in Glasnevin, Dublin.
The department has the following divisions:
Local government
Housing policy and standards
Heritage
National Built Heritage Service
National Monuments Service
National Parks and Wildlife Service
Met Éireann
Local government audit service
Affordable housing
Corporate and business support
Water
Planning
Homelessness, rental and social inclusion
Social housing delivery
Through its local government functions, it is responsible for the conduct of elections and referendums.
Heritage functions
The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) manages the State's nature conservation responsibilities. As well as managing the national parks, the activities of the NPWS include the designation and protection of Natural Heritage Areas, Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas. The NPWS was established as part of the department after the abolition of Dúchas in 2003. Dúchas's responsibilities had included the management of Ireland's six national parks and wildlife.
The National Monuments Service maintains Ireland's national monuments and the Archaeological Survey of Ireland.
The National Built Heritage Service maintains the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Aegis bodies
The following bodies are under the aegis of the department:
An Coimisiún Pleanála
An Fóram Uisce
Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA)
Docklands Oversight and Consultative Forum
Electoral Commission
Gas Networks Ireland
Heritage Council
Housing Agency
Housing Finance Agency
Land Development Agency
Local Government Management Agency
National Oversight and Audit Commission
National Traveller Accommodation Consultative Committee
Pyrite Resolution Board
Residential Tenancies Board
Property Services Regulatory Authority
Property Services Appeal Board
Tailte Éireann, an agency for surveying, registering ownership, and valuing land.
Uisce Éireann, formerly Irish Water, state-owned water utility
Valuation Tribunal
History
In the Ministry of Dáil Éireann in the Irish Republic (1919–1922), a Ministry of Local Government was established on 2 April 1919. In the Irish Free State, there was a Minister for Local Government as part of the first Executive Council of the Irish Free State established in 1922. The Department of Local Government and Public Health was given a statutory basis by the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924. This act provided it with:
the administration and business generally of public services in connection with local government, public health, relief of the poor, care of the insane (including insane criminals), health insurance, elections to each House of the Oireachtas, elections to local bodies and authorities, registration of voters, maintenance of public roads, and highways, registration of births, deaths and marriages, and vital statistics and all powers, duties and functions connected with the same, and shall include in particular the business, powers, duties and functions of the branches and officers of the public service specified in the Third Part of the Schedule to this Act, and of which Department the head shall be, and shall be styled, an t-Aire Rialtais Aitiúla agus Sláinte Puiblí or (in English) the Minister for Local Government and Public Health.
It also assigned it with the following branches of administration:
The Local Government Board for Ireland, including appeals under the Old Age Pensions Acts.
The Inspectors of Lunatic Asylums in Ireland.
National Health Insurance Commission.
The Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages in Ireland.
Roads Department (formerly Ministry of Transport).
Clerk of the Crown and Hanaper so far as concerned with Elections.
General Nursing Council and Central Midwives Board.