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Central Government

Central Government

Online ISSN: 2811-6186
CSO statistical release, , 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 by the Exchequer. They are subject to controls and may be regarded as extensions of government departments.

See Background Notes for more information.

Figure 1.1 in the Public Sector chapter displays a breakdown of the Register by subsector.

A complete list of the Register is available on the Register of Public Sector Bodies 2025 - Provisional Table 1.1 (XLS 68KB)

A CSV file is also available on the Register of Public Sector Bodies 2025 - Provisional Table 1.1 csv.

Departments 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, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. This survey was issued to all central government departments in January 2026 to capture data for the reference year 2025.

This survey updated the Register which was published in October 2025. The survey obtained extra information required to establish the statistical classification of all bodies under the aegis of these government departments. The updated information is set out in tables below. The next central government survey will take place in January 2027.

Departments, Votes, Extra-Budgetary Funds, Non-Commercial Agencies and Commercial Corporations are shown in the tables below. The tables below provide a breakdown for each central government department by ESA sub sector, type of funding for statistical classification purposes, all public bodies under their aegis by entity name. The tables also provide the vote number for all vote groups and lists the ultimate parent entity (if applicable, otherwise it will be left blank) where the entity is a subsidiary of a group.   

In total there are 613 bodies in central government. Figure 3.1 provides a breakdown per department of all Votes, Extra-Budgetary Funds, Non-Commercial Agencies and Commercial Corporations under the aegis of all central government departments.

DepartmentCommercial Non-Financial Corporation under the aegis of DepartmentExtra-Budgetary FundNon-Commercial Agency under the aegis of DepartmentVoteCommercial Financial Corporation under the aegis of Department
Agriculture, Food and the Marine1821310
Children, Disability and Equality103520
Climate, Energy and the Environment18521012
Culture, Communications and Sport502010
Defence00420
Education and Youth012510
Enterprise, Tourism and Employment101210
Finance01314410
Foreign Affairs and Trade00020
Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science711810
Health724915
Housing, Local Government and Heritage321731
Justice, Home Affairs and Migration002160
Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation212150
Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht04410
Social Protection0410
Transport261714
the Taoiseach00260
Table 3.1 Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine

Table 3.2 Department of Children, Disability and Equality

Table 3.3 Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment

Table 3.4 Department of Culture, Communications and Sport

Table 3.5 Department of Defence

Table 3.6 Department of Education and Youth

Table 3.7 Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment

Table 3.8 Department of Finance

Table 3.9 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Table 3.10 Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

Table 3.11 Department of Health

Table 3.12 Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Table 3.13 Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration

Table 3.14 Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation

Table 3.15 Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht

Table 3.16 Department of Social Protection

Table 3.17 Department of the Taoiseach

Table 3.18 Department of Transport

Organisations providing health and personal social services

Table 3.19 sets out organisations that provide health and personal services on behalf of government and are classified in the central government sector. The Department of Children, Disability and Equality provides the funding to these organisations except for one entity in the list. In this particular case, the majority of the funding comes from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. These organisations receive high levels of funding from government with stringent conditions and the majority of their services are provided on behalf of government. See Background Notes for further information.

Table 3.19 Organisations providing health and personal social services