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The Opposition Front Bench in the Republic of Ireland is a group of senior parliamentary opposition Teachtaí Dála (TDs) who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's. These members are assigned a particular portfolio and mark each individual member of the government. Members of the Opposition are often but not always appointed to a Cabinet post if and when their party gets into government.
Fine Gael is the largest opposition party in the Dáil and therefore that party's leader takes the title Leader of the Opposition, a largely nominal role. The other parties that occupy the opposition benches include the Labour Party and Sinn Féin.
The "Official Opposition" is viewed as the party tasked with keeping the government in check. It is also generally viewed as the alternative government. The Official Opposition maintains a Front bench of TDs that often have the same portfolios as actual ministers. They are known as opposition "spokespersons".
The title of "the Opposition" is held by the largest party in Dáil Éireann which is not in government, and sometimes the Opposition may even be the largest party in the Dáil. The latter situation almost always occurs when Fianna Fáil are in opposition. This is due to the existence of the multi-party system where Fine Gael usually forms a coalition with the Labour Party.
| Official Opposition | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party | 1922–1927 | |
| Fianna Fáil | 1927–1932 | |
| Cumann na nGaedhael | 1932–1933 | |
| Fine Gael | 1933–1948 | |
| Fianna Fáil | 1948–1951 | |
| Fine Gael | 1951–1954 | |
| Fianna Fáil | 1954–1957 | |
| Fine Gael | 1957–1973 | |
| Fianna Fáil | 1973–1977 | |
| Fine Gael | 1977–1981 | |
| Fianna Fáil | 1981–1982 | |
| Fine Gael | 1982 | |
| Fianna Fáil | 1982–1987 | |
| Fine Gael | 1987–1994 | |
| Fianna Fáil | 1994–1997 | |
| Fine Gael | 1997– | |
Contents |
Opposition Front Bench
Front Bench Spokespersons
| Portfolio | Opposition Spokesperson | |
|---|---|---|
| Leader of the Opposition, Northern Ireland |
Enda Kenny | 2002– |
| Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Finance |
Richard Bruton | 2002– |
| Agriculture, Fisheries and Food | Michael Creed | 2007– |
| Arts, Sport and Tourism | Olivia Mitchell | 2007– |
| Children | Alan Shatter | 2007– |
| Communications, Energy and Natural Resources | Simon Coveney | 2007– |
| Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs | Michael Ring | 2007– |
| Defence | Jimmy Deenihan | 2007– |
| Education and Science | Brian Hayes | 2007– |
| Enterprise, Trade and Employment | Leo Varadkar | 2007– |
| Environment, Heritage and Local Government | Phil Hogan | 2007– |
| Foreign Affairs | Billy Timmins | 2007– |
| Health | James Reilly | 2007– |
| Immigration and Integration | Denis Naughten | 2007– |
| Justice, Equality and Law Reform | Charles Flanagan | 2007– |
| Social and Family Affairs | Olwyn Enright | 2007– |
| Transport and Marine | Fergus O'Dowd | 2007– |
| Chief Whip | Paul Kehoe | 2004– |
| Seanad leader | Frances Fitzgerald | 2007– |
Deputy Spokespersons
| Portfolio | Deputy Spokesperson |
|---|---|
| Assistant Chief Whip (Dáil Reform) with special responsibility for Disability Issues | David Stanton |
| Agriculture with special responsibility for Fisheries | Tom Sheahan |
| Agriculture with special responsibility for Food and Horticulture | Andrew Doyle |
| Agriculture with special responsibility for Forestry | P. J. Sheehan |
| Arts, Sport and Tourism with special responsibility for Sport | John O'Mahony |
| Communications, Energy and Natural Resources with special responsibility for Telecommunications | Noel Coonan |
| Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs with special responsibility for Gaeltacht Affairs | Dinny McGinley |
| Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs with special responsibility for National Drugs Strategy | Catherine Byrne |
| Education with special responsibility for Lifelong Learning | Ulick Burke |
| Enterprise with special responsibility for Innovation | Deirdre Clune |
| Enterprise with special responsibility for Labour Affairs and Small Business | Damien English |
| Environment with special responsibility for Heritage | James Bannon |
| Environment with special responsibility for Housing | Terence Flanagan |
| Finance with special responsibility for FOI, Procurement Reform and the Office of Public Works | Kieran O'Donnell |
| Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for European Affairs | Lucinda Creighton |
| Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for Human Rights | Pat Breen |
| Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for Overseas Development Aid | John Deasy |
| Foreign Affairs and Department of the Taoiseach with special responsibility for North-South Co-operation | Joe McHugh |
| Health with special responsibility for Mental Health | Dan Neville |
| Health with special responsibility for Older People | Paul Connaughton |
| Justice with special responsibility for Equality | Michael W. D'Arcy |
| Justice with special responsibility for Juvenile Justice | Joe Carey |
| Transport with special responsibility for Road Safety | Shane McEntee |
| Transport and Education with special responsibility for Rural and School Transport | Frank Feighan |
External links
- "Fine Gael Front Bench". Fine Gael website. http://www.finegael.org/people/b/. Retrieved 12 September 2009.
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