Government of the 4th Dáil
The Government of the 4th Dáil or the 2nd Executive Council was the Executive Council of the Irish Free State formed after the general election held on 27 August 1923. It was a minority Cumann na nGaedheal government led by W. T. Cosgrave as President of the Executive Council.
The 2nd Executive Council lasted 1,373 days.
2nd Executive Council of the Irish Free State
The members of the 4th Dáil first met on 19 September 1923. The nomination of W. T. Cosgrave as President of the Executive Council was proposed by Richard Mulcahy and seconded by William Magennis. It was approved by the Dáil and Cosgrave was re-appointed by the governor-general.Members of the Executive Council
The members of the Executive Council were proposed by the president and approved by the Dáil on 20 September 1923.Ministers not members of the Executive Council
Extern Ministers were appointed by the Dáil on 10 October.Changes
20 March 1924
Richard Mulcahy was forced to resign after criticism by the Executive Councilof his handling of the Army Mutiny.
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4 April 1924
Joseph McGrath resigned from office on 7 March 1924 because of dissatisfactionwith government attitude to IRAO army officers.
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21 November 1924
Permanent Minister for Defence.!Office
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28 January 1926
Eoin MacNeill resigned in November 1925 following the report of the Irish Boundary Commissionwas published in a newspaper. MacNeill had represented the Free State on the commission.
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Parliamentary Secretaries
The Parliamentary Secretaries were appointed by the Executive Council.Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924
The Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 came into effect on 2 June 1924. On this date, the following ministerial titles were renamed:| Old title | New title |
| Minister for Home Affairs | Minister for Justice |
| Minister for Local Government | Minister for Local Government and Public Health |
| Minister for Agriculture | Minister for Lands and Agriculture |
| Postmaster-General | Minister for Posts and Telegraphs |
Amendments to the Constitution of the Irish Free State
The following amendments to the Constitution of the Irish Free State were proposed by the Executive Council and passed by the Oireachtas:- Amendment No. 1 : Provided that the first Senators would vacate office in December 1925, made changes relating to the terms of office of senators, and the date on which Seanad elections were to be held.
- Amendment No. 3 : Removed the requirement that the day of any general election would be declared a public holiday.
- Amendment No. 4 : Extended the maximum term of the Dáil from four to six years.
- Amendment No. 2 : Introduced a system of automatic re-election of the Ceann Comhairle in a general election.
- Amendment No. 5 : Increased the maximum membership of the Executive Council from seven to twelve members.
Footnotes