24th Government of Ireland
| Government of the 27th Dáil 24th Government of Ireland | |
|---|---|
| Date formed | 15 December 1994 |
| Date dissolved | 26 June 1997 |
| People and organisations | |
| Head of government | John Bruton |
| Deputy head of government | Dick Spring |
| Head of state | Mary Robinson |
| Total number of ministers | 15 |
| Member parties |
Fine Gael Labour Party Democratic Left |
| Status in legislature | Rainbow Coalition |
| Opposition leader | Bertie Ahern (Fianna Fáil) |
| History | |
| Legislature term(s) | 27th Dáil |
| Predecessor | 23rd Government |
| Successor | 25th Government |
The 24th Government of Ireland (15 December 1994 – 26 June 1997) was the 2nd Government of the 27th Dáil. Known as the Rainbow Coalition,[fn 1] it was a coalition of Fine Gael, the Labour Party and Democratic Left. The Labour Party had formed the 23rd Government with Fianna Fáil after the 1992 general election, but left in 1994 following a number of scandals, particularly over the beef industry and the alleged mishandling of the prosecution of paedophile priest Brendan Smyth. After Albert Reynolds was replaced by Bertie Ahern as Fianna Fáil leader, there was speculation that Labour would rejoin Fianna Fáil in government, but instead it joined with two opposition parties. By-election gains since 1992 meant the three now had enough TDs for an overall majority. This was the first time in Irish political history that a party had left a governing coalition and gone into government with opposition parties without first holding a general election.
Ministers
Nomination of Taoiseach vote
| Nomination of Taoiseach vote for Bertie Ahern (FF) Motion proposed by Albert Reynolds and seconded by David Andrews Absolute majority: 84/166 | ||
| Vote | Parties | Votes |
| Yes | Fianna Fáil (66), Independent Fianna Fáil (1) | 67 / 166 |
 No | Fine Gael (46), Labour Party (32), Progressive Democrats (9), Democratic Left (6), Green Party (1) | 94 / 166 |
| Abstentions | Independent (3), Ceann Comhairle (1), Fine Gael (1) | 5 / 166 |
| Source: Oireachtas Debates | ||
| Nomination of Taoiseach vote for John Bruton (FG) Motion proposed by Nora Owen and seconded by Paddy Harte Absolute majority: 84/166 | ||
| Vote | Parties | Votes |
 Yes | Fine Gael (47), Labour Party (32), Democratic Left (6) | 85 / 166 |
| No | Fianna Fáil (65), Progressive Democrats (9) | 74 / 166 |
| Abstentions | Independent (3), Ceann Comhairle (1), Fianna Fáil (1), Green Party (1), Independent Fianna Fáil (1) | 7 / 166 |
| Source: Oireachtas Debates | ||
Composition
Footnotes
- ↑ The term "Rainbow Coalition" in an Irish context had originally been used to describe a hypothetical coalition of Fine Gael (blue), Labour (red) and the Progressive Democrats (yellow).
- ↑ Hugh Coveney was demoted to a junior ministry in 1995 after allegations of improper contact with businessmen.
- ↑ Michael Lowry resigned in 1996 following reports of improper payments from businessman Ben Dunne.
See also
Sources
- "History of Government – Twenty-Seventh Dáil". Department of the Taoiseach. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
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