On 29 June 2007, he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales, before being promoted to the role of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Irranca-Davies resigned his seat in parliament in March 2016 to stand to represent the constituency in the Welsh Assembly, winning the seat in the elections held in May 2016.He was appointed as Minister for Children and Social Care in the Welsh Government on 3 November 2017.