Government and Politics

Since the foundation of the state, the Department of Finance has played a central role in Irish public affairs. For this reason its history is of major significance to all those interested in the evolution of Irish government and the Irish economy. This book provides a description, based on the source documents, of how the policies of the state were evolved. For seven years the author had unrestricted access to the working files of the Department of Finance for the period – consulting the primary sources for the government and administration of modern Ireland. 

The book describes, in particular, how the public service was established in 1922; the men who ran the new department and their policies; the traumatic impact of the first Fianna Fáil government in 1932 and the economic war which followed; the changes brought about by World War II and its aftermath. A major theme of the post-war period is the increasing politicisation of social and economic issues which brought the department more and more into the public eye; it provides, for instance, a detailed account of the origins of Economic Development, published in 1958. An epilogue outlines the major developments with which the department has since been concerned.

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Prologue

Abbreviations

Chapter One: The Historical Background 1919–22

i. The Treasury Remembrancer and Treasury (Ireland)

ii. The Department of Finance under the First and Second

     Dáil 1919–22 12

Chapter Two: The Department of Finance under the

Provisional Government of 1922

i. The Establishment of the Provisional Government

ii. Problems of Staffing

iii. Early Policies

iv. The Financial Provisions of the 1922 Constitution

v. The Impact of the Civil War

Chapter Three: The Search for Stability 1923–24

i. Reorganisation and Recruitment

ii. The Establishment of National Credit

iii. The Shaping of Policy

iv. The Campaign for Retrenchment

Chapter Four: Anglo–Irish Financial Relations 1922–26

i. Anglo–Irish Financial Relations and the Treaty

ii. The Treasury and the Department of Finance

iii. The Agreement of 12 February 1923

iv. The Compensation (Ireland) Commission

v. The Agreement of 3 December 1925

vi. The Ultimate Financial Settlement of 19 March 1926

Chapter Five: Consolidation 1925–31

i. New Horizons

ii. Some Committees and Commissions

iii. The Crisis of 1931

Chapter Six: New Masters: The Department of

Finance in the Thirties

i. The Change of Government

ii. Civil Service Pay: The “Cuts Committee”

iii. The Brennan Commission

iv. The Impact of the Economic War

v. The Crisis in Agriculture

vi. The 1937 Constitution and the End of the Economic War

Chapter Seven: Anglo–Irish Financial Relations:

The Economic War 1932–38

i. The Crisis of 1932

ii. The Coal–Cattle Pacts

iii. The 1938 Agreement

Chapter Eight: The Department of Finance and the Emergency

i. The Coming of War

ii. The Fear of Invasion

iii. New Directions

Chapter Nine: Towards the Post-War World:

The Department of Finance in the Forties

i. The Central Bank Act 1942

ii. The Link with Sterling

iii. The Aftermath of War

iv. The Dollar Crisis of 1947

Chapter Ten: The Department of Finance and the

First Inter-Party Government

i. The European Recovery Programme

ii. The Anglo–Irish Economic Discussions of June 1948

iii. The Use of European Recovery Programme Funds

iv. The Devaluation Crisis of 1949

v. The First Capital Budget

Chapter Eleven: The Emergence of Planning

i. The Climacteric of 1951–52

ii. 1953 – The Departure of J. J. McElligott

iii. The Second Inter-Party Government

iv. Economic Development

Chapter Twelve: Functions and Organisation:

The Department of Finance from Within and Without

i. The Organisation of the Department of Finance

ii. The “Finance Attitude”

Epilogue: After Economic Development

Conclusion

Notes

Appendix One: Ministers for Finance 1919–77

Appendix Two: Secretaries of the Department of Finance 1922–77

Appendix Three: Functions and Services assigned to the Department of Finance in 1922

Appendix Four: Organisation of the Department of Finance in 1977

Note on Sources

Index

The Irish Department of Finance 1922-58

Since the foundation of the state, the Department of Finance has played a central role in Irish public affairs. For this reason its history is of major significance to all those interested in the evolution of Irish government and the Irish economy. This book provides a description, based on the source documents, of how the policies of the state were evolved. For seven years the author had unrestricted access to the working files of the Department of Finance for the period – consulting the primary sources for the government and administration of modern Ireland. 

The book describes, in particular, how the public service was established in 1922; the men who ran the new department and their policies; the traumatic impact of the first Fianna Fáil government in 1932 and the economic war which followed; the changes brought about by World War II and its aftermath. A major theme of the post-war period is the increasing politicisation of social and economic issues which brought the department more and more into the public eye; it provides, for instance, a detailed account of the origins of Economic Development, published in 1958. An epilogue outlines the major developments with which the department has since been concerned.

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Prologue

Abbreviations

Chapter One: The Historical Background 1919–22

i. The Treasury Remembrancer and Treasury (Ireland)

ii. The Department of Finance under the First and Second

     Dáil 1919–22 12

Chapter Two: The Department of Finance under the

Provisional Government of 1922

i. The Establishment of the Provisional Government

ii. Problems of Staffing

iii. Early Policies

iv. The Financial Provisions of the 1922 Constitution

v. The Impact of the Civil War

Chapter Three: The Search for Stability 1923–24

i. Reorganisation and Recruitment

ii. The Establishment of National Credit

iii. The Shaping of Policy

iv. The Campaign for Retrenchment

Chapter Four: Anglo–Irish Financial Relations 1922–26

i. Anglo–Irish Financial Relations and the Treaty

ii. The Treasury and the Department of Finance

iii. The Agreement of 12 February 1923

iv. The Compensation (Ireland) Commission

v. The Agreement of 3 December 1925

vi. The Ultimate Financial Settlement of 19 March 1926

Chapter Five: Consolidation 1925–31

i. New Horizons

ii. Some Committees and Commissions

iii. The Crisis of 1931

Chapter Six: New Masters: The Department of

Finance in the Thirties

i. The Change of Government

ii. Civil Service Pay: The “Cuts Committee”

iii. The Brennan Commission

iv. The Impact of the Economic War

v. The Crisis in Agriculture

vi. The 1937 Constitution and the End of the Economic War

Chapter Seven: Anglo–Irish Financial Relations:

The Economic War 1932–38

i. The Crisis of 1932

ii. The Coal–Cattle Pacts

iii. The 1938 Agreement

Chapter Eight: The Department of Finance and the Emergency

i. The Coming of War

ii. The Fear of Invasion

iii. New Directions

Chapter Nine: Towards the Post-War World:

The Department of Finance in the Forties

i. The Central Bank Act 1942

ii. The Link with Sterling

iii. The Aftermath of War

iv. The Dollar Crisis of 1947

Chapter Ten: The Department of Finance and the

First Inter-Party Government

i. The European Recovery Programme

ii. The Anglo–Irish Economic Discussions of June 1948

iii. The Use of European Recovery Programme Funds

iv. The Devaluation Crisis of 1949

v. The First Capital Budget

Chapter Eleven: The Emergence of Planning

i. The Climacteric of 1951–52

ii. 1953 – The Departure of J. J. McElligott

iii. The Second Inter-Party Government

iv. Economic Development

Chapter Twelve: Functions and Organisation:

The Department of Finance from Within and Without

i. The Organisation of the Department of Finance

ii. The “Finance Attitude”

Epilogue: After Economic Development

Conclusion

Notes

Appendix One: Ministers for Finance 1919–77

Appendix Two: Secretaries of the Department of Finance 1922–77

Appendix Three: Functions and Services assigned to the Department of Finance in 1922

Appendix Four: Organisation of the Department of Finance in 1977

Note on Sources

Index

By: Ronan Fanning
ISBN: 978-1-910393-44-4 (hbk)

Published: Wednesday 31, August 2022. 645 Pages


€40.00

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