M.D.G. Campaign
The Irish Political System and how it works
Ireland is a parliamentary democracy. The two 'houses' of what is known as the Oireachtas (parliament) are Dáil Éireann (the House of Representatives) and Seanad Éireann (the Senate). The Irish Constitution was enacted into law in 1937 and it defines the powers and functions of the Oireachtas, the President and the Government.
The Government is headed up by the Taoiseach (the Prime Minister) and the Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister). The Dail has 166 members known as TD (Teachta Dála) - all of whom are directly elected by the people. General elections take place at least once every five years and the most recent was in May 2007. Since 1922, Ireland has used an electoral system based on proportional representation through the Single Transferable Vote (STV). This system is used to elect members to the Dail, local councils and the European Parliament. Electors indicate their most favoured candidate by putting "1" beside the candidate's name on the ballot paper and can then go on to indicate their second, third and lower preferences.
Under the Constitution there must be at least one TD for every 20,000 to 30,000 people and, at present, there are 166 Members from 42 constituencies - these are revised at least once every twelve years but are normally revised following a census of population which takes place every five years.
There are currently 15 Government Departments, each headed by a Minister. Formally, the Department of Foreign Affairs has responsibility for Ireland's engagement with the MDGs (especially through its development wing - Irish Aid) although many other Departments impact on the MDGs, especially the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Enterprise and Trade, the Department of the Environment and the Department of Finance.
TDs and their role
Alongside their main role as a Member of Dáil Éireann, TDs are also often members of health boards, community groups and Vocational Education Committees. Deputies usually divide their time between their constituency and attendance at meetings of Dáil Éireann and its specialist committees.
The Dáil normally meets in full session on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. A typical day's work for a Deputy includes researching and preparing speeches for debates on social, economic, financial and budgetary issues, drafting amendments to and examining proposals for new legislation, contributing to debates on Bills and other important matters, voting on issues in the House, attending Question Time, participating in Committees and making either oral or written representations on behalf of constituents to Ministers or Government Departments.
Dáil Éireann has its own Committee system which advises on a wide range of legislative, social, economic and financial business. These Committees also process legislation and examine Government expenditure. In recent years, the setting up of a well organised system of Joint Committees (i.e. Committees of both Houses sitting and voting together) has resulted in Deputies having additional opportunities to participate to an even greater extent in specialised parliamentary work. A TD will often be a member of more than one Committee or indeed it's Chairperson. Deputies also have an international role through international bodies such as the Council of Europe, the British-Irish Inter-parliamentary Body and other parliamentary associations. They also regularly travel abroad, assess particular situations, draft reports on issues (such as the MDGs) and try to influence policy on such issues at national and international level.
The Seanad
The Seanad has 60 members - 11 are nominated by the Taoiseach, the rest are elected from a number of vocational panels and by graduates of universities. The Seanad can initiate or revise legislation, but the Dáil has the power to reject these proposals or amendments.
In theory, Seanad Éireann does not recognise party affiliations. However, as the electorate for the panels is made up of the Members of the incoming Dáil, the outgoing Seanad, county councils and county borough councils, membership tends to reflect party strengths in the Dáil. In practice, Senators divide into groups supporting and opposing Government business when voting.
Seanad Éireann normally meets on Tuesday, Wednesdays and Thursdays and its main business is the revising of legislation sent to it by the Dáil. However, in recent years the Government has tended to make greater use of Seanad Éireann to initiate legislation - it can initiate and revise legislation but under the Constitution its legislative role is restricted in that it cannot initiate financial legislation, and can only make recommendations but not amendments to such Bills.
Seanad Éireann has the power to examine all Bills enacted by the Dail and it also has a role in debating key issues, often with greater freedom than the Dail. The Seanad cannot delay legislation indefinitely legislation passed by Dáil Éireann and does not have power to initiate legislation to amend the Constitution.