Rules of the House

Other sources include sessional orders, which are decisions of the House to modify or set aside a Standing Order for a particular period; ad hoc orders and resolutions; rulings of the Chair; and practice adopted over the years.

Standing Orders Relative to Public Business

Standing Orders Relative to Public Business are the rules governing the work of the Dáil. Article 15.10 of the Constitution gives the Dáil the power to make its own rules for the conduct of business, and these are the Standing Orders of the House.

The Dáil’s Standing Orders were first adopted by Resolution of the Provisional Parliament of 11 September 1922 and since that time, the Standing Orders have been amended and modified by the Dáil.

The Standing Orders are written rules of procedure that have been decided and adopted by the House itself. The rules cover a broad range of topics, from the declaration which must be made, on election by the Ceann Comhairle, to the deadlines for the submission of motions for the Order Paper.

Standing Orders are amended by the Dáil from time to time. Following reassembly of each Dáil subsequent to a general election a committee, called the Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Reform, is established. This committee shall, inter alia, consider matters of procedure generally, including procedure in standing, select or special committees, and make such recommendations on amendments to Standing Orders as it considers necessary and appropriate.  All changes to Standing Orders must be agreed by the House either by way of a motion to adopt a report from the Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Reform or by a direct motion on the Order Paper.

A new edition is published at the start of each Dáil term. If modifications are made during a Dáil term, a consolidated version of Standing Orders is provided for ease of reference. 

Salient Rulings of the Chair

Standing Orders do not form a complete code of the day-to-day procedure. They must be read in the context of how they have been applied or developed by the Chair over the years. The primary source for this is the Salient Rulings of the Chair. The Salient Rulings are not updated as frequently as Standing Orders.

Rulings are decisions by the Chair on matters that are not specifically covered by Standing Orders, or which apply Standing Orders in specific circumstances. Decisions may be made by the Chair on the floor of the House, or in a considered response to a query from a Member.

Rulings correspond with up-to-date practice and, when read in conjunction with Standing Orders, give a comprehensive picture of parliamentary procedure and practice.

Rulings of the Chair have been made over a considerable period and by quite a number of different Chairpersons of the Dáil. It should be noted that the Chair is not necessarily bound by previous rulings. However, in a given situation, a ruling is likely to be adhered to in the interests of consistency.

A ruling of the Chair, when given, may not be altered. A Member who is dissatisfied with a particular ruling may put down a motion or may make a private submission to the Chair that the ruling should be reconsidered when the particular point arises again.