The Tánaiste (/ˈtɔːnɪʃtə/ TAW-nish-tə, Irish: [ˈt̪ˠaːn̪ˠəʃtʲə] ) is the second-ranking member of the government of Ireland and the holder of its second-most senior office. It is the equivalent of the deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems.
The Tánaiste is appointed by the president of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is Simon Harris, TD, who was appointed on 23 January 2025.
The Government of Ireland (Irish: Rialtas na hÉireann) is the executive authority of Ireland, headed by the Taoiseach, the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet – is composed of ministers, each of whom must be a member of the Oireachtas, which consists of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann. Ministers are usually assigned a government department with a portfolio covering specific policy areas although provision exists for the appointment of a minister without portfolio.
The taoiseach must be nominated by the Dáil, the House of Representatives, from among its members. Following the nomination of the Dáil, the president of Ireland formally appoints the taoiseach. The president also appoints members of the government on the nomination of the taoiseach and their approval by the Dáil. The taoiseach nominates one member of the government as tánaiste, the deputy head of government. Like the taoiseach, the tánaiste and the minister for finance must be members of the Dáil.
Simon Harris (born 17 October 1986) is an Irish Fine Gael politician serving as Tánaiste and Minister for Finance since 2025, having previously served as Taoiseach from 2024 to 2025, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence from January to November 2025. He has been leader of Fine Gael since 2024 and a TD for the Wicklow constituency since 2011. A Cabinet minister since 2016, he previously served as a minister of state from 2014 to 2016.
Born in Greystones, Harris became politically active as a teenager, campaigning on behalf of children with autism and attention deficit disorder. He was elected to Wicklow County Council in the 2009 local elections. He was elected to Dáil Éireann at the 2011 general election, becoming the "baby of the Dáil" at age 24, and was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Finance in 2014. Following the formation of a Fine Gael minority government in 2016, he was appointed Minister for Health. On the formation of the coalition government in 2020, he was appointed Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. From December 2022 to June 2023, he also served as Minister for Justice during the maternity leave of Cabinet colleague Helen McEntee.