Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I read a report recently to the effect that Ministers of State were deemed to be powerless. As I pointed out to Deputy Martin, all Ministers of State have responsibility. Some have been assigned by statutory delegation order and others have been allocated with responsibilities for particular areas. For example, there are two Ministers of State in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputies McHugh and Dara Murphy. The Minister of State, Deputy McHugh, has special responsibility for the diaspora and international development. The Minister of State, Deputy Dara Murphy, has responsibility for European affairs and data protection. He works at the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Taoiseach.

The Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1977 provides for the delegation of statutory ministerial powers and duties to Ministers of State. This may be done at the request of the Minister concerned by Government order. The responsibilities allocated by the Minister for Foreign Affairs relate to consular, passport and technical matters, and it is not the practice, nor is it considered necessary, to delegate those functions he has held for himself as Minister for Foreign Affairs. For instance, the Minister for Public Expenditure, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, interpreted a question from Deputy Eoghan Murphy, who is a Minister of State, as referring to a delegation of ministerial functions order. He allocated the Minister of State, Deputy Murphy, functions and responsibilities to carry out on his behalf but he did not do so by statutory authority under the Act. Deputy Murphy deals with financial services, as Deputy Martin is aware, in the IFSC and so on. The Minister, Deputy Ross, decided not to allocate by statutory delegation of ministerial function responsibilities in the areas of sports, local authority programmes, engagement with sporting bodies and partnerships regarding other matters to the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan.

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