28. Oireachtas (National Parliament) and Legislation

Updated to 31 December 2023 (Act No. 9 of 2024 and S.I. No. 141 of 2024)

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28.1. Houses of the Oireachtas Service

Public Exp 1 28/2003
Finance
  • none
39/2006
Finance
  • none
44/2009
Finance
  • none
50/2012
Finance 3/2013
Finance
  • none
34/2015
Finance
  • none
53/2015
Public Exp
  • none
41/2018
Public Exp
  • none
41/2021
1 Except s. 5(1) and 13(5)(a): Finance: see S.I. No. 418 of 2011.

28.2. Committees of the Oireachtas

28.2.1. Witnesses

Public Exp 33/2013
Public Exp
  • none
47/1998
2 Repealed Oireachtas Witnesses Oaths Act 1924 (53/1924), Houses of the Oireachtas (Laying of Documents) Act 1966 (10/1966), Committee of Public Accounts of Dáil Éireann (Privilege and Procedure) Act 1970 (22/1970), Committees of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Privilege and Procedure) Act 1976 (10/1976), Select Committee on Legislation and Security of Dáil Éireann (Privilege and Immunity) Act 1994 (32/1994), Committees of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Compellability Privileges and Immunities of Witnesses) Act 1997 (17/1997), and Committees of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Compellability Privileges and Immunities of Witnesses) (Amendment) Act 2004 (16/2004) and 14 pre-1922 Acts.

28.3. Legislation and Law Reform

28.3.1. Adaptation of Pre-1922 Charters

Taoiseach 6/1926
3 Also responsibility of Department of Education and Skills.

28.3.2. Adaptation of Pre-1922 Legislation

Taoiseach 2/1922
Taoiseach 34/1931
Taoiseach
  • none
5/1962
4 It is likely that many of the orders made under this Act became obsolete as pre-1922 legislation was gradually replaced, and should be revoked.
5 Responsibility of Department of Finance and Revenue Commissioners.
6 Responsibility of Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.
7 Responsibility of Department of Justice and Equality.
8 Responsibility of Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
9 Responsibility of Department of Justice and Equality.
10 Responsibility of Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
11 Responsibility of Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
12 Responsibility of Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
13 Responsibility of Department of Finance and Revenue Commissioners.
14 Responsibility of Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
15 Responsibility of Department of Justice and Equality.
16 Responsibility of Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
17 Responsibility of Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
18 Responsibility of Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
19 Responsibility of Department of Finance and Revenue Commissioners.
20 Ibid.
21 Ibid. This SI appears to be obsolete.
22 Responsibility of Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. This SI appears to be obsolete.
23 Responsibility of Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
24 Ibid.
25 Responsibility of Department of Finance and Revenue Commissioners.
26 Obsolete on repeal of Children Act 1908 by Children Act 2001 (24/2001), s. 5 and sch. 2, this SI should be revoked.
27 Responsibility of Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
28 Responsibility of Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
29 Responsibility of Department of Justice and Equality.
30 Responsibility of Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.
31 Responsibility of Department of Justice and Equality.
32 Responsibility of Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
33 Responsibility of Department of Justice and Equality.
34 Responsibility of Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
35 Responsibility of Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.
36 Responsibility of Department of Finance.
37 Responsibility of Department of Health.
38 Responsibility of Department of Justice and Equality.
39 Responsibility of Department of Finance.
40 Ibid.
41 Responsibility of Department of Justice and Equality.
42 Responsibility of Department of Health. Obsolete on repeal of Poisons (Ireland) Act 1870 by Poisons Act 1961 (12/1961), s. 21 and sch., this SI should be revoked.
43 Responsibility of Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.
44 Responsibility of Department of Justice and Equality.
45 Responsibility of Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
46 Responsibility of Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
47 Ibid.
48 Ibid.
49 Ibid.
50 Responsibility of Department of Justice and Equality.
51 Ibid.
52 Responsibility of Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.
53 Responsibility of Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
54 Responsibility of Department of Finance.
55 Responsibility of Department of Justice and Equality.
56 Responsibility of Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, OPW.
57 Responsibility of Department of Justice and Equality.
58 Responsibility of Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.
59 Responsibility of Department of Justice and Equality.
60 Responsibility of Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

28.3.3. Effect of Constitution of Ireland 1937

Taoiseach 40/1937
Taoiseach
  • none
8/1944
61 Responsibility of Department of Finance.
62 Responsibility of Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, OPW.
63 Responsibility of Department of Justice and Equality.
64 Responsibility of Department of Health.
65 Ibid.
66 Responsibility of Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

28.3.4. Interpretation of Legislation

Taoiseach 23/2005
Taoiseach
  • none
36/1997

28.3.5. Law Reform Commission

Taoiseach 67 3/1975
67

Public Exp (in part): see S.I. No. 418 of 2011. 

28.3.6. Private Acts: Costs

Public Exp
  • none
52/1924

28.3.7. Statutory Instruments/Secondary Legislation

Public Exp
  • none
44/1947
Public Exp
  • none
26/1955

28.3.8. Statute Law Revision: Repeal of Obsolete Legislation

Public Exp
  • none
28/2007
Public Exp
  • none
29/1962
Public Exp
  • none
11/1983
Public Exp
  • none
32/2005
Public Exp
  • none
46/2009
Public Exp
  • none
19/2012
Public Exp
  • none
23/2015
Public Exp
  • none
20/2016
68 Schedule 1 of the Statute Law Revision Act 2007 contains the definitive list of 1,364 pre-1922 Public Acts retained in force as of May 2007. Since then, a number of these pre-1922 Acts have repealed, notably over 150 pre-1922 Acts repealed by the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009 (27/2009).
69 Contains a definitive list of 138 pre-1922 (a) Local and Personal Acts (enacted up to 1850) and (b) Private Statutes (enacted up to 1750) retained in force in 2009 (see also the list in the 2012 Act, below). This Classified List contains Public Acts only.
70 Contains a definitive list of the remaining 796 pre-1922 (a) Local and Personal Acts (enacted between 1851 and 1922) and (b) Private Statutes (enacted between 1751 and 1922) retained in force in 2012 (completes the list in the 2009 Act, above). This Classified List contains Public Acts only.
71 Revoked all secondary instruments such as orders, proclamations and declarations applicable to Ireland made before 1821, apart from 43 instruments listed in its first schedule. The Act expressly revoked 5,782 instruments listed in the second schedule.
72

Repealed 297 Acts made 1922-1950.

28.3.9. Statute Law Restatement: Administrative Consolidation (Revised Acts)

Public Exp
  • none
33/2002

28.4. Members of the Oireachtas

28.4.1. Salaries and Allowances

Finance 34/1938
Finance
  • none
12/1960
Public Exp 32/1962
Finance
  • none
14/1964
Finance
  • none
8/1968
Finance
  • none
22/1968
Finance
  • none
22/1973
Finance
  • none
29/1977
Finance
  • none
32/1983
Finance 3/1992
Finance
  • none
21/1994
Finance
  • none
39/1996
Finance 5/1998
Finance 33/2001
Finance 29/2009
Finance 6/2014
73 Also listed under 26.3: Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices: Remuneration.
74 Many of the Sis made under this Act are also made under Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Act 1938 (38/1938).
75 Also listed at 26.3, Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices: Remuneration.
76 Also listed at 26.3, Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices: Remuneration.
77 Also listed at 26.3, Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices: Remuneration.
78 Also listed at 26.3, Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices: Remuneration.
79 Also listed at 26.3, Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices: Remuneration.
80 Also listed at 26.3, Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices: Remuneration.
81 Also listed at 26.3, Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices: Remuneration.
82 Also listed at 26.3, Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices: Remuneration.
83 Also listed at 26.3, Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices: Remuneration.
84 Also listed at 26.3, Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices: Remuneration.

28.5. Procedure 85

85 Article 15.10 of the Constitution of Ireland provides that each House of the Oireachtas (Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann) shall make its own rules and standing orders. The current Standing Orders of each House of the Oireachtas are available at www.oireachhtas.ie.

28.5.1. Laying of Documents

Public Exp
  • none
33/2013
86 Part 13. Repealed Houses of the Oireachtas (Laying of Documents) Act 1966 (10/1966), among others.

28.6. Parliamentary Offices and Staff

Finance 38/1938
Finance
  • none
21/1949
Finance
  • none
19/1952
Transport 88
  • none
38/1959
Finance
  • none
21/1972
Finance 90
  • none
30/2001
87 See also Title 26: National Government, above.
88 Functions transferred to Public Service (now Transport) by S.I. No. 294 of 1973. However, it appears that Finance may have current responsibility.
89 See also Title 26: National Government, above.
90

Public Exp (in part): see S.I. No. 418 of 2011. 

28.7. President of Ireland

Finance
  • none
37/1937
Finance 91 24/1938
Finance
  • none
22/1947
Finance
  • none
18/1973
Finance
  • none
10/1991
91 However orders made under this Act were made by the Taoiseach, implying responsibility lying with the Department of the Taoiseach.

28.8. Tribunals of Inquiry and Commissions of Investigation

28.8.1. Tribunals of Inquiry

Justice 11 & 12 Geo. 5, c. 7
Justice 92
  • none
3/1979
Justice
  • none
42/1997
Justice
  • none
11/1998
Justice
  • none
18/1998
Justice 93
  • none
7/2002
Justice
  • none
13/2004
Local Gov
  • none
39/2004
92

Public Exp (in part): see S.I. No. 418 of 2011. 

93

Public Exp (in part): see S.I. No. 418 of 2011. 

28.8.2. Commissions of Investigation

Justice 94 23/2004
Finance 10/2016
Justice
  • none
20/2020
94

Public Exp (in part): see S.I. No. 418 of 2011. 

95

See S.I. 688 of 2022, previously health.

28.8.3. Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse

Education 96 7/2000
Education 97 17/2005
96

Public Exp (in part): see S.I. No. 418 of 2011. 

97

Public Exp (in part): see S.I. No. 418 of 2011. 

28.9. ECA Section 3 Statutory Instruments

Foreign 27/1972