Inaugural holder Seán T. O'Kelly Salary €171,309 | Formation 29 December 1937 | |
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Appointer President of Ireland on the nomination of the Taoiseach | ||
The Tánaiste (/ˈtɔːnᵻʃtə/) is the deputy prime minister of the Republic of Ireland and the second-most senior officer in the Government of Ireland. The Tánaiste is appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is Frances Fitzgerald, TD, who was appointed on 6 May 2016.
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Origins and etymology
Tánaiste (Irish pronunciation: [ˈt̪ˠaːnˠaʃtʲə]) was the Irish word for the heir of the chief (taoiseach) or king (rí), under the Gaelic system of tanistry. Before independence, the British Lord Lieutenant of Ireland or Viceroy was sometimes referred to in the Irish language as An Tánaiste-Rí, literally 'the deputy king'.
Modern office
The office was created in 1937 under the new Constitution of Ireland, replacing the previous office of Vice-President of the Executive Council that had existed under the Free State constitution. This office was first held by Kevin O'Higgins of Cumann na nGaedheal from 1922 to 1927.
The Taoiseach nominates a member of Dáil Éireann, who will also be a member of the government, to the office. The nominee then receives their seal of office from the President of Ireland in recognition of their appointment. The Tánaiste acts in the place of the Taoiseach during his or her temporary absence. In the event of the Taoiseach's death or permanent incapacitation, the Tánaiste acts in their stead until another Taoiseach is appointed. The Tánaiste is, ex officio, a member of the Council of State. The Tánaiste chairs meetings of the government in the Taoiseach's absence and may take questions on their behalf in the Dáil or Seanad.
Aside from these duties, the title is largely honorific as the Constitution does not confer any additional powers on the office holder. While the Department of the Taoiseach is a Department of State, there is no equivalent for the Tánaiste. In theory the Tánaiste could be a minister without portfolio but in practice every Tánaiste has in parallel held a ministerial portfolio as head of a Department of State. Dick Spring in the 1994–97 "Rainbow Coalition" had an official "Office of the Tánaiste", though other parties have not used this nomenclature. Under Spring, Eithne Fitzgerald was "Minister of State at the Office of the Tánaiste", with responsibility for coordinating Labour policy in the coalition.
Under a coalition government, the Tánaiste is typically the leader of the second-largest government party, just as the Taoiseach is usually leader of the largest; however, during the 1989–92 and the 2007–11 governments, the position was held by a Fianna Fáil member, although they were in coalition.
Three Tánaistí later held the office of Taoiseach: Seán Lemass, Bertie Ahern, and Brian Cowen. Two Tánaistí were later elected as President of Ireland: Seán T. O'Kelly and Erskine H. Childers.