Irish Minister for Posts and Telegraphs
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P&T_(Ireland).png
The logo of the department often seen on its vehicles
The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs (Irish An t-Áire Puist agus Telegrafa) was a senior Irish government minister from 1924 to 1984, when the post and the department was abolished.
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Creation and origins
The office of Minister for Post and Telegraphs was created in the Ministers and Secretaries Act, 1924, which totally re-organised the new Irish system of government. It replaced and took over the role previously exercised by the Postmaster-General in the administration of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
Legal definition
The Ministers and Secretaries Act in Section (1) Part (ix) defined the Department's role as follows
The Department of Posts and Telegraphs which shall comprise the administration and business generally of public services in connection with posts, telegraphs, and telephones, and all powers, duties and functions connected with the same, and shall include in particular the business, powers, duties and functions of the branches and officers of the public services specified in the Eighth Part of the Schedule to this Act, and of which Department the head shall be, and shall be styled, an t-Aire Puist agus Telegrafa or (in English) the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs.
Responsibilities, reform and abolition
The Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, sometimes called the P and T, was responsible for Irelands postal and telecommunications services from 1924 to 1984. In that time the department was one of the largest civil service departments in Ireland. The reform of the sector and department begain, in ernest in 1978 with the creation of the Posts and Telegraphs Review Group. This lead to the creation of the ad-hoc, in 1979 after the report was delivered, of the Interim Board for Posts (Irish: An Bord Poist), chaired by Feargal Quinn, and the Interim Board for Telecommunications (Irish: An Bord Telecom) chaired by Michael Smurfit. These two boards continued to sit until the semi-state orgainsations which replaced them - An Post and Telecom Éireann repectively, were created in 1984 - the Minister of Posts & Telegraphs ceased to exist at that time and the functions and liabilities were passed to the newly created office of Minister for Communications; this was one of the largest reorganisations of the civil service in modern times and a result civil service numbers nearly halfed overnight because of the tranfer of personnel.
Minister for the Post Office 1922-1924
| # | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | James J. Walsh | April 1, 1922 | June 2, 1924 | Cumann na nGaedhael |
Minister for Posts & Telegraphs 1924-1984
| Government of Ireland | 
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Defunct: |