Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ireland)

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment ( _ga. An Roinn Fiontar, Trádála agus Fostaíochta) is a department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment who is assisted by five Ministers of State.

Departmental Team

*Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Mary Coughlan, TD
**Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation: Jimmy Devins, TD
**Minister of State for Lifelong Learning and School Transport: Seán Haughey, TD
**Minister of State for Labour Affairs: Billy Kelleher, TD
**Minister of State for Trade and Commerce: John McGuinness, TD
**Minister of State for Equality, Disability Issues and Mental Health: John Moloney, TD
*Secretary General of the Department: Seán Gorman

Departmental Overview

Enterprise, Trade and Employment is one of the most important economic departments in the Irish Government, responsible for the implementation of policy in five key areas:
* Enterprise, Innovation, Growth
* Quality Work and Learning
* Making Markets and Regulation work better
* Quality, Value and Continuous Improvement
* the European Union.

A large element of the work of the Department arises from Ireland's membership of a number of international organisations, in particular the European Union and the World Trade Organisation. The Department plays an active role in the development of EU and WTO policies, particularly to ensure that Ireland's interests are protected. The Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment is organised into seven divisions. They are:

*Labour Force Development Division
*Competitiveness and International Affairs Division
*Employment Rights & Industrial Relations Division
*Science, Technology and Intellectual Property Division
*Corporate Services & Economic Policy Division
*Commerce, Consumers and Competition Division
*Enterprise and Agencies Division

History

The official headquarters and Ministerial offices of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment are at 23 Kildare Street, Dublin 2. The present Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment was established in 1997, however, the department has existed in many forms over the years:
*Department of Trade and Commerce (1919–1922)
*Department of Trade (1922)
*Department of Industry and Commerce (1922–1977)
*Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy (1977–1980)
*Department of Industry, Commerce and Tourism (1980–1981)
*Department of Trade, Commerce and Tourism (1981–1983)
*Department of Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism (1983–1986)
*Department of Industry and Commerce (1986–1993)
*Department of Enterprise and Employment (1993–1997)
*Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (1997–present)

External links

* [http://www.entemp.ie/ Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment]