Ireland

House of RepresentativesSenate

House of Representatives

Structure

Data on parliamentary sessions, parliamentary committees and parliamentary groups.

Sessions

Number of ordinary sessions of parliament per year
Dates of parliamentary sessions
Dates of parliamentary sessions
Parliament is usually in ordinary session Extraordinary sessions can be held
January x x
February x x
March x x
April x x
May x x
June x x
July x x
August x
September x x
October x x
November x x
December x x
Number of days parliament met in plenary, per year
106
See historical data for this field.
All languages recognized in the constitution can be used in plenary meetings Answer “Yes” includes the countries where only one language is recognized by the Constitution.
Yes

Committees

Number of permanent committees This number does not include sub-committees or joint committees in bicameral parliaments.

Parliamentary groups

Parliamentary groups are recognized in the parliamentary rules “Parliamentary groups” are the primary means by which political parties organize themselves in parliament. They may also be known as “party groups”, “caucuses” or “fractions”. They are different from all-party groups on specific issues, or inter-parliamentary friendship groups.
Number of parliamentary groups
10
See historical data for this field.
Minimum number of members required to form a parliamentary group
Not applicable. There is no minimum number of members to form a parliamentary group
No
Percentage of members required to form a parliamentary group The percentage is calculated by dividing the minimum number of members required to form a parliamentary group by the statutory number of members of the parliament/chamber.
Independent members can jointly form a parliamentary group
Yes
Several parties can jointly form a parliamentary group
Yes
Relevant provisions about parliamentary groups in the parliamentary rules of procedure
Dáil Standing Orders 120

Includes political parties and parliamentary groups. Number of groups for 2016 refers to the post-election situation. Prior to 2016, it was only possible to have one group that was not a political party. Since amendments to Standing Orders in 2016, there is no limit on the number of groups.