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Opposition Front Bench (Ireland)

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The Opposition Front Bench in the Republic of Ireland is a group of senior parliamentary opposition Teachtaí Dála (TDs) who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's. These members are assigned a particular portfolio and mark each individual member of the government. Members of the Opposition are often but not always appointed to a Cabinet post if and when their party gets into government.

Overview

Fine Gael is the largest opposition party in the Dáil and therefore that party's leader takes the title Leader of the Opposition, a largely nominal role. The other parties that occupy the opposition benches include the Labour Party and Sinn Féin.

The "Official Opposition" is viewed as the party tasked with keeping the government in check. It is also generally viewed as the alternative government. The Official Opposition maintains a Front bench of TDs that often have the same portfolios as actual ministers. They are known as opposition "spokespersons".

The title of "the Opposition" is held by the largest party in Dáil Éireann which is not in government, and sometimes the Opposition may even be the largest party in the Dáil. The latter situation almost always occurs when Fianna Fáil are in opposition. This is due to the existence of the multi-party system where Fine Gael usually forms a coalition with the Labour Party.

Opposition Front Bench

Front Bench Spokespersons

Deputy Spokespersons

See also

• Irish Labour Party Front Bench

External links

• "Fine Gael Front Bench". Fine Gael website. http://www.finegael.org/people/b/. Retrieved 12 September 2009.