Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (1997–2002)

Following the 1997 general election, a Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats came to power, Ahern was appointed Minister for Community, Social and Family Affairs. As Social Affairs Minister Ahern also introduced the largest social welfare and pension increases in Irish history. He also achieved pension rights for Irish people who had emigrated from Ireland prior to 1953.

Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (2002–2004)

Following the return of the government at the 2002 general election, Ahern was appointed Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. In this post he was critical of the main telecommunications provider eircom. His Department introduced a system of Policy Directions to the telecoms regulator mandating, amongst other things, Flat Rate Internet Access. It also devised the Ireland's Broadband Action Plan which entailed the government building an alternative fibre infrastructure and co-location facilities. He sanctioned a reform package for public service broadcasting in Ireland and introduced a Charter for Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ. His Department introduced a programme to provide free broadband internet access to schools. He secured EU recognition and protection of the Irish Box, an area of Irish territorial waters out of bounds to Spanish and Portuguese fishermen.

Minister for Foreign Affairs (2004–2008)

Following a cabinet reshuffle in 2004, Ahern became Minister for Foreign Affairs, the first Louth TD to hold that position since Frank Aiken in the 1960s. Shortly into his tenure in April 2005, Ahern was appointed one of four special envoys for United Nations reform by the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Ahern spoke of the 'Third Phase' in Irish foreign policy which he calls "Active Neutrality". This is a vision of non-aligned Ireland taking up its international responsibilities by acting as a bridge between the developed and developing world, and by acting as a world leader in conflict and disasters. In this regard he took an extremely outspoken line on the crisis in Darfur, calling on the international community to 'wake up to the reality of rape, murder and destruction in the region.^[7] More recently Ahern has announced the establishment of an Irish Volunteer Corps and a Rapid Response Corps which would harness existing expertise amongst the Irish public to assist in the developing world.^[8] He has stated that, in foreign policy terms, 'the single greatest, economic, environmental, geopolitical issue now facing us is climate change.'^[9]

As Foreign Minister, Ahern was heavily involved in the Northern Ireland peace process.^[10] In 2006, he and several government leaders met regarding peace talks for Northern Ireland.^[10] Ahern met with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain, US Ambassador to Ireland James C. Kenny, US Ambassador to the United Kingdom Robert H. Tuttle, the leadership of each of the main political parties involved in the process for peace, as well as three United States Congress members, James T. Walsh, Brian Higgins, and Tim Murphy.^[10] At the time of the meeting, there was a confirmation announcement of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) weapons decommissioning.^[10]

Ahern voiced concern over the 2006 Lebanon War.^[11] A shipment of bombs being sent to Israel by the United States was banned using Irish airspace or airfields.^[12]

Like many others in his party, therefore, Ahern describes himself as a republican, and made an associated statement regarding his self-identification at the 2006 Seán Moylan commemoration in Cork. At the 2006 Moylan commemoration, Ahern was quoted, stating: "As an Irish Republican, my main personal and political goal is to live to see the unity of Ireland".^[13]

As Foreign Minister, he led a campaign to secure a path to permanent residency for the 25,000 to 50,000 undocumented Irish citizens resident in the United States. He also introduced free passports for Irish senior citizens and had called for a comprehensive ban on the use of cluster munitions. Ahern was the first government Minister to call for a constitutional referendum on the issues arising from the Supreme Court decision on statutory rape, five months before it became government policy.^[14]

After a call by the Irish Human Rights Commission that the Irish government inspect aircraft supposed to be a part of the US extraordinary rendition program, Ahern rejected these proposals. In a leaked diplomatic cable written by US Ambassador to Ireland Thomas C. Foley, Foley reported that Ahern thought it "might not be a bad idea to allow the random inspection of a few planes to proceed, which would provide cover if a rendition flight ever surfaced. He seemed quite convinced that at least three flights involving renditions had refueled at Shannon Airport before or after conducting renditions elsewhere".^[15][16]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (2008–2011)

Ahern was appointed Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform on 7 May 2008, by the new Taoiseach Brian Cowen. On 29 April 2009, Ahern proposed a controversial amendment to the Defamation Bill adding the crime of blasphemy to the statute books.^[17]

The amendment was passed in the Dáil on 9 July 2009, with only an hour of the debate set aside for the bill, and was then narrowly passed by the Seanad the next day by walk-through vote, after being defeated in the initial electronic vote.^[18] This amendment has been criticised by many within the public sphere, free speech campaigners and some ministers of European Union member states.^[19] As of 2010, the law is in effect.

Ahern is responsible for the Civil Partnership Bill 2009 published on 26 June 2009.^[20]

He received the Murphy Report into child sexual abuse in the Dublin Diocese in June 2009.^[21] Most of the report was published on 26 November 2009 of that year, though parts were not, due to names that were undergoing prosecution.

As part of a reshuffle in March 2010, the Equality affairs section of the department was moved to the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs.

Ahern said that in March 2010 he would propose to the Cabinet a constitutional amendment deleting the constitutional prohibition on blasphemy when the children's rights amendment comes up. Ahern was opposed to a stand-alone referendum that would have cost €3 or €4 million, his spokesman added. At the time, Ahern wrote in The Irish Times: "My intention is to remove the possibility of prison sentences and private prosecutions for blasphemy, currently provided for in Irish law. The only credible alternative to this move is a blasphemy referendum, which I consider, in the current circumstances, a costly and unwarranted diversion."^[22]

On 15 November 2010, he described as 'fiction' the speculation that Ireland was about to seek financial aid from the European Union. He told RTÉ's The Week in Politics that 'nothing is going on at the direction of Government in relation to this.'^[23] On 21 November 2010, the Taoiseach Brian Cowen confirmed that Ireland had formally requested financial support from the European Union's European Financial Stability Facility and the International Monetary Fund.^[24][25]

Retirement

On 30 November 2010, he announced he will not contest his Dáil seat at the 2011 general election, as he has rheumatoid arthritis, and said it was a "painful medical condition necessitating heavy medication".^[26] He retires to a combined annual ministerial and TD's pension of €128,300.^[26] He resigned as Minister for Justice and Law Reform on 19 January 2011.^[27]