We have launched a new Documents Laid web page that gives easy access to essential information about documents that are currently laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.
Visit the new page at www.oireachtas.ie/docs-laid to see:
- Documents laid before Parliament in the past seven days
- Documents currently open to a motion to annul
- Documents awaiting a motion of approval
You can search for documents laid before one or both Houses and laid by a particular Department or agency, so it’s easier than ever to find the right document.
The page displays essential information about each document, including the corporate author, laying body and, for statutory documents, the legislation under which the document was laid. You can also find out whether there is a motion attached to a document.
There are two types of motion:
- Motion of approval required – the House(s) must approve the document
- Open to a motion to annul – the House(s) may choose to annul the document
Documents Laid are documents that are formally submitted to the Houses of the Oireachtas in order to support the democratic process. They include reports of Oireachtas Committees, Government Departments, State boards and statutory bodies.
More facts about Documents Laid
- The Oireachtas Library & Research Service (L&RS) manages the process by which documents are laid before Parliament via an online application.
- Around 2,000 documents are laid before the Houses each year.
- The term "Laid before the Houses" stems from the original procedure whereby civil servants travelled to Leinster House to lay a paper copy on the table in the Oireachtas Library.
- More than 94,000 documents have been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas since the foundation of the State in 1922.