Public body

Department of Health

What this means

  • The Department of Health is a government body that develops national health and social care policy and holds the Health Service Executive to account for service delivery.[source]
  • The department is working to open the new National Children's Hospital, a major commitment that has been in progress and is closely watched for public accountability.[source]
  • Plans are in progress to add between 4,000 and 4,500 inpatient hospital beds and open at least 100 additional ICU beds across the health system.[source]
  • The department is also committed to delivering four new elective hospitals, aiming to reduce waiting times and ease pressure on existing facilities.[source]
  • Staffing and administrative spending limits for the department are set by the Department of Public Expenditure, meaning its budgets are subject to external oversight.[source]

Direct impact (11)

Indirect impact (10)

Two-hop relationships traced through the entity above. Useful for spotting downstream knock-on effects.

  • holds role: Minister for Health → holds role: Teachta Dála2-hop via jennifer-carroll-macneill
    Dáil ÉireannBody
  • sets rule for → owns statutory mandate2-hop via dept-expenditure
    Control and allocation of public expenditureMandate
  • sets rule for → owns statutory mandate2-hop via dept-expenditure
    Management standards for Departments of StateMandate
  • responsible for commitment → delivery owned by officeholder2-hop via pfg-2025-mental-health-mbu
    Mary ButlerOfficeholder
  • sets rule for → responsible for commitment2-hop via dept-expenditure
    Establish an infrastructure delivery and reform functionCommitment
  • sets rule for → holds role: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation2-hop via dept-expenditure
    Frankie FeighanOfficeholder
  • sets rule for → holds role: Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation2-hop via dept-expenditure
    Jack ChambersOfficeholder
  • sets rule for → holds role: Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation2-hop via dept-expenditure
    Kevin Boxer MoranOfficeholder
  • sets rule for → holds role: Secretary General, Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform2-hop via dept-expenditure
    David MoloneyOfficeholder
  • holds role: Minister for Health → member of party2-hop via jennifer-carroll-macneill
    Fine GaelParty

Summary derived from the records cited above. Read the methodology to understand how this is generated.

Relationship map

Formulation and oversight of health policy - owns statutory mandateMFormulation and oversight…owns statutory mandateOpen the new National Children's Hospital - responsible for commitmentCOpen the new National Chi…responsible for commitmentAdd 4,000-4,500 inpatient hospital beds - responsible for commitmentCAdd 4,000-4,500 inpatient…responsible for commitmentOpen at least 100 additional ICU beds - responsible for commitmentCOpen at least 100 additio…responsible for commitmentDeliver four new elective hospitals - responsible for commitmentCDeliver four new elective…responsible for commitmentMeet Sláintecare waiting-time targets - responsible for commitmentCMeet Sláintecare waiting-…responsible for commitmentDeliver the first inpatient mother and baby mental health unit - responsible for commitmentCDeliver the first inpatie…responsible for commitmentEstablish targeted mental health supports for autistic children - responsible for commitmentCEstablish targeted mental…responsible for commitmentJennifer Carroll MacNeill - holds role: Minister for HealthOJennifer Carroll MacNeillholds role: Minister for Heal…Jennifer Murnane O'Connor - holds role: Minister of State at the Department of HealthOJennifer Murnane O'Connorholds role: Minister of State…Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform - sets rule forBDepartment of Public Expe…sets rule forBDepartment of Health

One-hop relationships derived from the entity records. Click any node to follow the link.

Accountability scores

Delivery

Body score · method delivery-2.0.0 · as of 2026-05-23

On track 100%7 commitmentsCoverage 100%

Decomposes into 7 rows — click any row to verify the underlying record.

Mandate fulfilment

Body score · method accountability-2.0.0 · as of 2026-05-23

1 mandates5 commitmentsCoverage 100%

Decomposes into 5 rows — click any row to verify the underlying record.

Fiscal stewardship

Body score · method accountability-2.0.0 · as of 2026-05-23

1 budget votes0 with outturnCoverage 0% — not yet verifiable

Decomposes into 1 row — click any row to verify the underlying record.

  • Vote 38 — Health (2025)€25.77bn
    outturn not publishedvariance n/aunverifiableno published outturn: excluded from stewardship rate, lowers coverage

Statutory mandates (1)

Responsible for 7 commitments

Relationships

Outgoing (0)

No outgoing relationships.

Incoming (1)

  • Set by (incoming)
    Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and ReformBodyMeadows 5: rules-of-systemSource: ministerial guidance

    Delegated sanction limits for administrative and staffing matters at Dept of Health are set by Dept of Public Expenditure under DPER circulars rather than primary legislation; changeable without an Act, hence high leverage.

Budget votes (1)

  • Vote 38 — Health (2025)allocation €25.77bn · outturn not published

Knowledge graph

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