Everything about The Ceann Comhairle totally explained
The
Ceann Comhairle (
Irish for "head of the council") is the
speaker of
Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the
Oireachtas (parliament) of the
Republic of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the Dáil from among their number in the first session after each general election. The current Ceann Comhairle is
John O'Donoghue,
TD. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle (
Deputy Speaker) is
Brendan Howlin, TD.
Overview
The Ceann Comhairle is expected to observe strict impartiality. Despite this, a government usually tries to select one of its own for the position, if its numbers allow. In order to protect the neutrality of the chair, the
Irish constitution provides that an incumbent Ceann Comhairle doesn't seek re-election as a
Teachta Dála (member of the Dáil) but rather is deemed automatically to have been re-elected by their constituency at a general election, unless they're retiring. As a consequence, the constituency that an incumbent Ceann Comhairle theoretically represents returns one less TD in a general election than its usual entitlement. The Ceann Comhairle doesn't vote except in the event of a tie. In this event they generally vote in accordance with the parliamentary conventions relating to the
Speaker of the British House of Commons. The Ceann Comhairle is the sole judge of order in the house and has a number of special functions. Specifically, the Ceann Comhairle
- Calls on members to speak. All speeches must be addressed to the Ceann Comhairle.
- Puts such questions to the house and supervises and declares the results of divisions.
- Has authority to suppress disorder. To ensure obedience to his rulings the Ceann Comhairle may order members to withdraw from the Dáil or suspend an individual from the House for a period. In the case of great disorder the Ceann Comhairle can suspend or adjourn the house.
- Rings a bell when deputies are out of order.
History
The position of Ceann Comhairle is as old as the Dáil, which was first established as an extra-legal parliament in 1919. The first Ceann Comhairle was
Cathal Brugha, who served for only one day, presiding over the house's symbolic first meeting, before leaving the post to become
Príomh Aire (prime minister). The office was continued under the 1922–1937
Irish Free State, the constitution of which referred to the office-holder as the "Chairman of Dáil Éireann". The practice of automatically re-electing the Ceann Comhairle in a general election was introduced by a constitutional amendment in 1927. For a brief period from 1936 to 1937, following the abolition of the office of
Governor-General, certain of the Governor-General's functions were transferred to the Ceann Comhairle, who was assigned the role of signing bills into law and convening and dissolving the Dáil. The position of Ceann Comhairle was retained when the
Constitution of Ireland was adopted in 1937, as was the practice of automatic re-election.
List of office-holders
Footnotes
Further Information
Get more info on 'Ceann Comhairle'.
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