[3] From 1981 to 1982, he served as Minister of State at the Department of Finance with responsibility for Economic Planning, under Garret FitzGerald as Taoiseach.

After the November 1982 general election, Fine Gael and the Labour Party formed a majority government.

FitzGerald began a major cabinet reshuffle in February 1986, to appoint him as Minister for Justice; Desmond refused, and Spring supported him in that attitude.

[4] On 20 January 1987, the Labour ministers resigned from the government; this led to the 1987 general election, as a result of which Fianna Fáil returned to office.

As president, he oversaw the revision of its articles of association and the securing of €3.2 million in funding for the restoration of Mariners' Church, Dún Laoghaire, which houses the National Maritime Museum of Ireland.