Sections of the Department

One of the Department's key functions is to support Government policy on major national priorities. We do this by:

• Providing advice to the Taoiseach
• Supporting long-term planning and inter-agency co-operation
• Ensuring that there is consistency and coherence between policies, and that they are delivered effectively.

Close co-operation within the Department, and with other Departments and outside organisations, is needed to do this effectively.

The following are our current policy priorities:

• Economic and Social Policy
• European and International Affairs
• Northern Ireland

Responsibility for Tranforming Public Services was transferred to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in 2011.  Further information is available on www.per.gov.ie 

Responsibility for The Knowledge Society and e-Government (a priority under our previous Strategy Statement 2005-2007) was transferred to other Departments in 2008. The Knowledge Society is now the responsibility of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, and e-Government is now with the Department of Finance.

The pre-2008 pages of this website which dealt the the Knowledge and e-Government are available here.

Other Sections

As well as supporting the Government's policy priorities, the Department has the following core tasks:

• providing the Secretariat to the Government,
• liaising with the President and the Houses of the Oireachtas,
• providing Protocol services,
• providing Corporate Support services.