Ireland
Senate
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Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
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Parliamentary system
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Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
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Bicameral
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IPU membership
Current membership status
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Yes
Parliamentary mandate
Start and end of mandate
- Start of the parliamentary mandate for newly elected members
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When the member is sworn in
Notes: Senators are indirectly elected or appointed.
- Start of the parliamentary mandate for appointed members
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At the time of appointment
- End of the parliamentary mandate
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On the last day of the chamber’s term (including in the case of early dissolution)
Speaker
- Mode of designation of the Speaker
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The Speaker is elected from among the members of parliament/chamber
- Authority that designates the Speaker when the Speaker is designated from outside parliament.
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Rank of the Speaker in the hierarchy of the State
The Speaker often has a very high rank in the protocollary hierarchy of the State.
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Fourth
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Speaker becomes interim Head of State in the event of the latter’s death or incapacity
In some countries, the Speaker acts as interim Head of State when required by the circumstances, such as death or incapacity.
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No
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Speaker's mandate continues between legislatures
The mandate of the Speaker may continue until their successor is elected, even after the dissolution of parliament/chamber.
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Yes
Speaker terms
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The term of the Speaker is different from the term of the house
The term of the Speaker may be different from the term of the House (legislature).
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No
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Speaker's term
The term may be shorter than one year.
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5 Years
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Fixed election date for the Speaker, if any
Speakers in several parliaments are elected on a fixed date in accordance with the Constitution.
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No information available
Immunity and code of conduct
- Parliament’s authorization is required for the detention or prosecution of members
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No
- There is a Code of conduct for members
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Yes
Salaries and allowances
- Members are paid salaries by parliament
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Basic salary, per year
The figures are the gross amount before tax in national currency.
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81,206 EUR(2025)
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Basic salary, per year in PPP
The figures are provided by parliaments in national currency and converted to PPP dollars using World Bank conversion tables.
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Click for historical data
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Basic allowances
“Basic allowances” are allowances that are automatically paid to all parliamentarians. They are received in advance as a lump sum at a flat rate. They are not intended to be reimbursement for any expenses. Basic allowances are sometimes called “representation allowance”, “supplemental allowance”, “end-of-year allowance”, etc.
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Click for historical data
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Basic allowance in PPP
The figures were provided by parliaments in national currency and converted to PPP dollars using World Bank conversion tables.
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15,074
- Names of the basic allowances
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- Public Representative Allowance expenses must be vouched and are subject to an annual limit and vary according to a member's role. The maximum that can be received per year is €12,225.
- The Travel and Accommodation Allowance (TAA) is dependent on attendance. Paid monthly, it is based on the distance from the member's normal place of residence to Leinster House, and there are 12 bands relating to different distances and different amounts for TDs, Senators and Office Holders within the bands. Members must attend a minimum of 120 days to receive the full amount, deducted by 1% for each day less than 120. Members are paid monthly based on the appropriate band. At the end of the year they must certify that the amount paid to them was applied in respect of expenses incurred for the purpose specified in the regulations and return.
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Periodicity of attendance allowance
Attendance allowances may for example be paid by day, month, year or session.
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Year
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Members pay income tax on salaries
Salaries and/or allowances may be subject to income tax or equivalent.
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Yes
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Members pay income tax on allowances
Salaries and/or allowances may be subject to income tax or equivalent.
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No
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Members can have remunerated employment outside parliament
Certain parliaments allow MPs to exercise other remunerated employment outside parliament.
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Yes
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Members are required to declare income from other employment to parliament
In certain countries, MPs exercising other employment may be required to declare their income.
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Yes
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Salary of the Speaker
Some parliaments pay for additional salaries to the Speaker/President. Other parliaments have a separate amount of salaries for this post. The total amount of the salaries of the Speaker/President is indicated for both cases.
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138,210 EUR
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The parliamentary salary is determined in reference to another salary scale
In some countries, the amount of parliamentary salary is determined in reference to another salary scale, such as civil service salary scale, ministerial salary or the minimum wage of the country.
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Yes
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Reference scale used for parliamentary salaries
Reference scale used for parliamentary salaries: Civil service salary scale; Ministerial salary; Minimum wage; Other (please specify)
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Civil service salary scale
Notes: Prior to independence, under British administration, women were granted the right to vote on 17 April 1963. This right was confirmed at independence.
- Links to information on salaries and allowances
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- Year data was last reported
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2020
Facilities, services and allowances for constituency work
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Personal staff to work directly for the parliamentarian
The personal staff to work directly for the parliamentarian is different from parliamentary staff work for the secretariat of Parliament.
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Yes
- Office at parliament
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Yes
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Constituency office
Certain countries provide for an office at constituency if it’s different from a seat of parliament, which is often in the capital. The office at constituency is applicable mainly to the countries using the Plurality/Majority system of elections.
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No
- Housing
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No
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Other cash or in-kind allowances for constituency work
The common in-kind allowances for constituency work include those for travel, overnight stay, etc.
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No
Notes:
Senators receive no payments for constituency travel or a constituency office as they do not represent geographic constituencies.
Additional salaries and allowances for leadership positions
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Additional salaries and allowances provided for leadership positions
The amount of salaries and allowances is generally higher for the Speaker/President. Some parliaments also provide for additional allowances to Chairs of Committees.
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Yes
Notes:
Speaker - 138,210 EUR (57,004 EUR in addition to basic salary)
Committee Chair - 126,841 (10,888 EUR in addition to basic salary)
Deputy Speaker
Leader of the Seanad
Deputy Leader of the Seanad
Party group Whips
Group Leaders
Members of Oireachtas Commission
| Salary | Allowances | |
|---|---|---|
| Speaker | Yes The Speaker receives additional salary View field in the data dictionary |
Yes The Speaker receives additional allowances View field in the data dictionary |
| Committee Chair | Yes Existence of additional salaries for the Committee Chair View field in the data dictionary |
Yes Existence of additional allowances for the Committee Chair View field in the data dictionary |
Participation in the government
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Members of the government must also be members of parliament
Members of the government must also be members of parliament: Must be a member of parliament; Cannot be a member of parliament; Can be a member of parliament; Other
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Must be a member of parliament
Notes: The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, and the Minister for Finance must be members of Dáil Éireann. The other members of the Government can be from either Dáil Éireann or Seanad Éireann. However, no more than two members may be appointed from Seanad Éireann.
Sources: Constitution, art.28 (7)
- Number of members of the parliament/chamber who are also members of the government
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Percentage of members of parliament/chamber who are also members of the government
The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of members of the parliament/chamber who are also members of the government by the statutory number of members of parliament/chamber.
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Click for historical data