Oireachtas
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This article is about the modern legislature. For alternative meanings, see Oireachtas
(disambiguation) and Irish parliament (disambiguation).
Oireachtas
National Parliament
Type
Type Bicameral
Dáil Éireann (32nd)
Houses
Seanad Éireann (25th)
Leadership
Michael D. Higgins
President
Since 27 October 2011
Ceann Comhairle of Seán Ó Fearghaíl (FF)
Dáil Éireann Since 10 March 2016
Cathaoirleach of Denis O'Donovan (FF)
Seanad Éireann Since 8 June 2016
Structure
218 members
Seats 158 TDs
60 Senators
Dáil Éireann Government (56)
political groups Fine Gael (49)
Independent
Alliance (4)
Independent (3)
Confidence and supply (44)
Fianna Fáil (44)
Other opposition (57)
Sinn Féin (21)
Labour Party (7)
Solidarity–PBP
(6)
I4C (3)
Green Party (2)
Social Democrats
(2)
Independent (16)
Ceann Comhairle
Seán Ó Fearghaíl
(1)
Government (20)
Fine Gael (20)
Confidence and supply (13)
Fianna Fáil (13)
Opposition (27)
Seanad Éireann
Sinn Féin (6)
political groups
Labour Party (4)
Green Party (1)
Human Dignity
Alliance (1)
Independent (15)
Elections
Dáil Éireann
Single transferable vote
voting system
Seanad Éireann
Indirect election
voting system
Dáil Éireann
26 February 2016
last election
Seanad Éireann
26 April 2016
last election
Meeting place
Leinster House, Dublin
Website
[Link]
Ireland
This article is part of a series on the
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The Oireachtas (/ˈɛrəktəs/ ERR-ək-təs),[1] sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is
the legislature of Ireland.[2] The Oireachtas consists of:
The President of Ireland
The two houses of the Oireachtas (Irish: Tithe an Oireachtais):[3]
o Dáil Éireann (lower house)
o Seanad Éireann (upper house)
The houses of the Oireachtas sit in Leinster House in Dublin, an eighteenth-century ducal
palace. The directly elected Dáil is by far the more powerful branch of the Oireachtas.
Contents
1 Etymology
2 Composition
3 Role
o 3.1 Powers
o 3.2 Limitations
4 Committees
5 History
o 5.1 Televising of the Oireachtas
o 5.2 Houses of the Oireachtas family day
6 Northern Ireland representation
7 Houses of the Oireachtas Commission
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
Etymology
The term oireachtas (Irish pronunciation: [ˈiːɾʲəxt̪ ˠasˠ]) derives from the Old Irish word airech
("nobleman"). Its first recorded use as the name of a legislative body was within the Irish
Free State.
Composition
Dáil Éireann, the lower house, is directly elected under universal suffrage of all Irish and
United Kingdom citizens who are residents and at least eighteen years old. An election is held
at least once every five years as required by law, however, the house can be dissolved at any
time at the request of the Taoiseach (head of government). Dáil elections use a system of
proportional representation by way of a single transferable vote. The Dáil has had 166
members since 1981.[4] The Seanad is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of
members selected in a number of different ways. 43 senators are elected by councillors and
parliamentarians, 11 are appointed by the Taoiseach, and six are elected by two university
constituencies, thus having 60 members in total. The President of Ireland is directly elected
once every seven years, and may serve a maximum of two terms, however, if, as has occurred
on a number of occasions, a consensus among the larger political parties can result in only a
single candidate being nominated, no actual ballot takes place.
Role
To become law, a bill must first be approved by both the Dáil and in most circumstances the
Seanad (although the Dáil can override a Seanad refusal to pass a Bill), and then signed into
law by the President. Bills to amend the Constitution must also be approved by the People in
a referendum prior to being presented to the President. In most circumstances, the President is
in effect obliged to sign all laws approved by the Houses of the Oireachtas, although he or
she has the power to refer most bills to the Supreme Court for a ruling on constitutionality.
The powers of the Seanad are in effect limited to delay rather than veto. It is the Dáil,
therefore, that is the supreme tier of the Irish legislature. The general enacting formula for
Acts of the Oireachtas is: "Be it enacted by the Oireachtas as follows:-", for an act with a
preamble this enacting formula is, instead, "Be it therefore enacted by the Oireachtas as
follows:—".
Powers
The Oireachtas has exclusive power to:
Legislate, including a power vested in the Dáil of approving the financial resolutions
relevant to the budget. However, the courts[5] have allowed the Oireachtas to delegate
limited legislative powers to other entities, such as Government Ministers.
Create subordinate legislatures.
Propose changes to the constitution (must be initiated in the Dáil), which must then be
submitted to a referendum.
Raise military or armed forces.
Allow international agreements to become part of the domestic law of the state.
Pass certain laws having extraterritorial effect (in accordance with the similar
practices of other states).
Enact, when it considers a state of emergency to exist, almost any law it deems
necessary, with imposition of capital punishment being the only absolutely excluded
act in all circumstances.
Limitations
Laws are invalid if, and to the extent that, they contradict the constitution.
In the event of a conflict, EU law also takes pr