diff --git a/modules/locale/locale.module b/modules/locale/locale.module
index 91038969f99620df88a2e70318af7b04b20e598e..6b1e3a62cb90ad37e164d607dd6813dab2350aab 100644
--- a/modules/locale/locale.module
+++ b/modules/locale/locale.module
@@ -76,7 +76,8 @@ function locale_menu() {
    'position' => 'left',
    'weight' => -7,
    'page callback' => 'system_admin_menu_block_page',
-   'access arguments' => array('access administration pages'),
+   'access callback' => 'system_admin_menu_block_access',
+   'access arguments' => array('admin/international', 'access administration pages'),
   );
   $items['admin/international/language'] = array(
     'title' => 'Languages',
diff --git a/modules/simpletest/simpletest.module b/modules/simpletest/simpletest.module
index 58c01b6f2d1dcf5913e5e327419b668f7939ccb1..cad833381edd44f9da13bd8534678bf6779645f7 100644
--- a/modules/simpletest/simpletest.module
+++ b/modules/simpletest/simpletest.module
@@ -31,7 +31,8 @@ function simpletest_menu() {
     'position' => 'right',
     'weight' => -7,
     'page callback' => 'system_admin_menu_block_page',
-    'access arguments' => array('access administration pages'),
+    'access callback' => 'system_admin_menu_block_access',
+    'access arguments' => array('admin/development', 'access administration pages'),
   );
   $items['admin/development/testing'] = array(
     'title' => 'Testing',
diff --git a/modules/system/system.module b/modules/system/system.module
index 1f9f2452d4a1e4557ff419ce0be7e0059da2451c..c363e5aa7246eed4eda5d0d55eebf3d6949ccbbc 100644
--- a/modules/system/system.module
+++ b/modules/system/system.module
@@ -493,7 +493,8 @@ function system_menu() {
     'position' => 'left',
     'weight' => -10,
     'page callback' => 'system_admin_menu_block_page',
-    'access arguments' => array('access administration pages'),
+    'access callback' => 'system_admin_menu_block_access',
+    'access arguments' => array('admin/content', 'access administration pages'),
   );
 
   // Menu items that are basically just menu blocks.
@@ -503,7 +504,8 @@ function system_menu() {
     'position' => 'right',
     'weight' => -5,
     'page callback' => 'system_settings_overview',
-    'access arguments' => array('access administration pages'),
+    'access callback' => 'system_admin_menu_block_access',
+    'access arguments' => array('admin/settings', 'access administration pages'),
   );
   $items['admin/build'] = array(
     'title' => 'Site building',
@@ -511,7 +513,8 @@ function system_menu() {
     'position' => 'right',
     'weight' => -10,
     'page callback' => 'system_admin_menu_block_page',
-    'access arguments' => array('access administration pages'),
+    'access callback' => 'system_admin_menu_block_access',
+    'access arguments' => array('admin/build', 'access administration pages'),
   );
   // Themes.
   $items['admin/build/themes'] = array(
@@ -726,7 +729,8 @@ function system_menu() {
     'title' => 'Reports',
     'description' => 'View reports from system logs and other status information.',
     'page callback' => 'system_admin_menu_block_page',
-    'access arguments' => array('access site reports'),
+    'access callback' => 'system_admin_menu_block_access',
+    'access arguments' => array('admin/reports', 'access site reports'),
     'weight' => 5,
     'position' => 'left',
   );
@@ -778,6 +782,25 @@ function _system_themes_access($theme) {
   return user_access('administer site configuration') && ($theme->status || $theme->name == variable_get('admin_theme', 0));
 }
 
+/**
+ * Menu item access callback - hides empty system settings overview pages.
+ *
+ * @param $path
+ *   The path of the menu item to check for child menu entries.
+ * @param $string
+ *   The permission, such as "administer nodes", being checked for.
+ * @return
+ *   Boolean TRUE if the current user has the requested permission and the
+ *   current menu item has children.
+ */
+function system_admin_menu_block_access($path, $permission) {
+  if (!user_access($permission)) {
+    return FALSE;
+  }
+  $content = system_admin_menu_block(array('path' => $path));
+  return !empty($content);
+}
+
 /**
  * Implementation of hook_init().
  */
@@ -987,10 +1010,14 @@ function system_block_view($delta = '') {
  *   The menu item to be displayed.
  */
 function system_admin_menu_block($item) {
-  $content = array();
+  $cache = &drupal_static(__FUNCTION__, array());
   if (!isset($item['mlid'])) {
     $item += db_query("SELECT mlid, menu_name FROM {menu_links} ml WHERE ml.router_path = :path AND module = 'system'", array(':path' => $item['path']))->fetchAssoc();
   }
+  else if (isset($cache[$item['mlid']])) {
+    return $cache[$item['mlid']];
+  }
+  $content = array();
   $result = db_query("
     SELECT m.load_functions, m.to_arg_functions, m.access_callback, m.access_arguments, m.page_callback, m.page_arguments, m.title, m.title_callback, m.title_arguments, m.type, m.description, ml.*
     FROM {menu_links} ml
@@ -1011,6 +1038,7 @@ function system_admin_menu_block($item) {
     $content[(50000 + $item['weight']) . ' ' . $item['title'] . ' ' . $item['mlid']] = $item;
   }
   ksort($content);
+  $cache[$item['mlid']] = $content;
   return $content;
 }
 
diff --git a/modules/system/system.test b/modules/system/system.test
index e49b26e5dbbf04b8cbbef863c35ccbb26b60c672..9756e97382718b75a781180969bb3dd1d6561076 100644
--- a/modules/system/system.test
+++ b/modules/system/system.test
@@ -370,6 +370,10 @@ class CronRunTestCase extends DrupalWebTestCase {
   }
 }
 
+
+/**
+ * Test administration pages and categories.
+ */
 class AdminOverviewTestCase extends DrupalWebTestCase {
   /**
    * Implementation of getInfo().
@@ -435,6 +439,26 @@ class AdminOverviewTestCase extends DrupalWebTestCase {
       $this->assertFalse($extra, t('No extra panels found.'));
     }
   }
+
+  /**
+   * Test administrative menu categories.
+   */
+  public function testHideEmptyCategories() {
+    $user = $this->drupalCreateUser(array('administer nodes', 'access administration pages'));
+    $this->drupalLogin($user);
+
+    $this->drupalGet('admin');
+
+    // Make sure menu items with children are displayed.
+    $this->assertLink(t('Administer'));
+    $this->assertLink(t('Content management'));
+
+    // Make sure menu items without children are hidden.
+    $this->assertNoLink(t('Site building'));
+    $this->assertNoLink(t('Site configuration'));
+    $this->assertNoLink(t('User management'));
+    $this->assertNoLink(t('Reports'));
+  }
 }
 
 class AdminMetaTagTestCase extends DrupalWebTestCase {
diff --git a/modules/user/user.module b/modules/user/user.module
index 3a23cd772feac611d2a38a492a6d5baa4b7ff509..fe16d994efda5bf034fe81700e5b0e128a6b73ba 100644
--- a/modules/user/user.module
+++ b/modules/user/user.module
@@ -1335,7 +1335,8 @@ function user_menu() {
     'description' => "Manage your site's users, groups and access to site features.",
     'position' => 'left',
     'page callback' => 'system_admin_menu_block_page',
-    'access arguments' => array('access administration pages'),
+    'access callback' => 'system_admin_menu_block_access',
+    'access arguments' => array('admin/user', 'access administration pages'),
   );
   $items['admin/user/user'] = array(
     'title' => 'Users',