Helen McEntee will resume her role as Minister for Justice on Monday, six months after becoming the first Cabinet member in the history of the State to take maternity leave.
Ms McEntee is the first Minister to be pregnant or give birth while in office.
She served as a Cabinet Minister without portfolio for the duration of her leave. This was facilitated by a complicated arrangement, which was necessary due to caps on the number of ministers a government can have. There are no legal provisions to allow TDs to take maternity leave.
Heather Humphreys served as both Minister for Social Protection and Minister for Justice during the period of Ms McEntee’s leave.
Ministers of State Hildegarde Naughton and James Browne were assigned responsibility for civil and criminal justice, and law reform and immigration respectively. They served in the temporary roles from the end of April until October 31st.
Ms McEntee gave birth to a baby boy in the Rotunda in late April and will resume her role as Minister for Justice on November 1st.
