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Central Government

Central Government

Online ISSN: 2811-6186
CSO statistical publication, , 11am

The central government sector (S.1311) includes all bodies established through political processes and for whose activities a Minister of government or other responsible person is accountable to the people through the Oireachtas. This responsibility extends to the presentation of detailed audited annual accounts to the Oireachtas. Central government includes legislative, judicial and executive bodies established in this manner. The sector does not include public corporations or enterprises engaged in the production of commercial services or goods. The main categories of central government bodies are:

  • Departments of State including any additional voted expenditure under the aegis of the Minister; 
  • Extra-Budgetary Funds for which separate accounts are maintained and which are directly administered by departments; and
  • Bodies which are not departments but which are funded almost entirely from the Exchequer, are subject to controls and may be regarded as extensions of government departments.

See Background Notes for more information.

A complete list of the Register is available on the Register of Public Sector Bodies - Final Table 1.1 (XLS 51KB) . Figure 2.1 in the Public Sector chapter displays a breakdown of the Register by subsector.

A CSV file is also available on the  Register of Public Sector Bodies - Final Table 1.1 csv.

Department of State, Vote Groups and Extra-Budgetary Funds

An annual survey of all central government departments is undertaken jointly by the CSO and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. This survey updates the central government information set out in the tables below.

This survey updates the entity listings. It also obtains extra information required to establish the statistical classification of all bodies under the aegis of these government units. 

Departments, Additional Votes, Extra-Budgetary Funds, Non-commercial Agencies and Commercial Agencies are shown in the following tables.

Figure 3.1 provides a breakdown per department of all Votes, Extra-Budgetary Funds, Non-commercial Agencies and Commercial Agencies under the aegis of all central government departments, totalling 629 bodies. 

X-axis labelVoteExtra-Budgetary Funds Non-Commercial Agencies under the aegis of the Department Commercial Non-Financial Corporations under the aegis of the Department Commercial Financial Corporations under the aegis of the Department
Agriculture, Food and the Marine121120nil
Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth2nil6nilnil
Defence2nil3nilnil
Education1225nilnil
Enterprise, Trade and Employment1nil111nil
Environment, Climate and Communications12121522
Finance41819444
Foreign Affairs2nilnilnilnil
Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science11168nil
Health127785
Housing, Local Government and Heritage32184nil
Justice6nil18nilnil
Public Expenditure and Reform14nil22nil
Rural and Community Development144nilnil
Social Protection113nilnil
Taoiseach6nil2nilnil
Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media1nil239nil
Transport1nil9272
Table 3.1 Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine

Table 3.2 Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Table 3.3 Department of Defence

Table 3.4 Department of Education

Table 3.5 Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment

Table 3.6 Department of Environment, Climate and Communications

Table 3.7 Department of Finance

Table 3.8 Department of Foreign Affairs

Table 3.9 Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

Table 3.10 Department of Health

Table 3.11 Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Table 3.12 Department of Justice

Table 3.13 Department of Public Expenditure and Reform

Table 3.14 Department of Rural and Community Development

Table 3.15 Department of Social Protection

Table 3.16 Department of the Taoiseach

Table 3.17 Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

Table 3.18 Department of Transport