Political Facts

Political Facts
11-May-09
This gives an overview of the Government of Ireland.

The Government of Ireland is the group of senior ministers responsible for the executive power of the state. This means that the Government is responsible for giving effect to laws. The Government is also often described as the "Cabinet" or the "Executive". The Taoiseach is the head of Irish Government. The Tanaiste is Ireland's Vice-Taoiseach, or Deputy Prime Minister. The Attorney General is the legal advisor to the Irish Government. The Government Chief Whip is responsible for organising and co-ordinating Government business in Dáil Eireann.

The Government decides major questions of policy and carries out a number of different and important functions. The government of Ireland is based upon the Constitution of Ireland, Bunreacht na hÉireann, which can be found here along with its amendments. The Constitution establishes the branches or organs of government, it establishes the courts and it also sets out how those institutions should be run. The Constitution has another important function; it describes the fundamental rights that every Irish citizen is entitled to.

One of the most important Articles of the Constitution is Article 15.4, which states that the Oireachtas must not enact any law that is repugnant to the Constitution and that any such law is invalid. This means, that the law set down in the Constitution is superior to all other law, including legislation. If a proposed new law is repugnant to the Constitution, it cannot be enacted without first changing the Constitution by a constitutional referendum.

The President:

The 'President' is the title given to the Irish Head of State. As Head of State in Ireland, the President has a number of important functions. The office of the President of Ireland is established by the Constitution of Ireland. The current President of Ireland is Mary McAleese, who commenced her second term as President on 11th November, 2004. Since the foundation of the Irish State, there have been a total of 8 Irish Presidents.

The President is elected directly by the people of Ireland and may be removed from office by either House of the Oireachtas (the Dail and the Seanad). The term of office is 7 years and the President may not serve more than 2 terms. The President is assisted in performing his or her duties by the Presidential Commission and the Council of State.

The President resides at the official residence, called 'Áras an Uachtaráin', which is located in the Phoenix Park, the largest enclosed park in Europe. The Phoenix Park is close to the capital of Ireland, Dublin. The Áras an Uachtaráin website has more information and includes a virtual tour of the residence.

National Government:
The national government comprises of two houses, the Dáil and the Seanad, collectively called the Oireachtas. Dáil Éireann is one of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Ireland's national parliament). Dáil Éireann is located in Dublin.

The Dáil consists of members of the Dáil or TDs - Teachta Dála. TDs are elected directly to the Dáil by the people of Ireland in a general election. If a vacancy occurs at the Dáil, the seat will be filled by a by-election. A list of TDs, grouped alphabetically by name including their postal addresses or TDs grouped by constituency is available. There is also a list of TDs' websites.

The Constitution states that the number of TDs cannot be more than one for every 20,000 of the population and cannot be less than one for every 30,000. There are now 166 TDs, which means that there is approximately one TD for every 23,000 people. The country is divided into 42 constituencies and every constituency must elect at least three members to the Dáil. As far as possible, the ratio of population to TD must be equal in each constituency.

The constituencies must be revised at least once every 12 years, although in practice they are revised after the census is published every five years. TDs represent and work on behalf of the electors in their constituency. The maximum life of the Dáil is 5 years, although at any time the Taoiseach may advise the President to dissolve the Dáil.

Seanad Éireann is the senate of Ireland. It is the upper House of the Oireachtas (national Parliament) and has a number of important functions. Seanad Éireann is located in Dublin. Seanad Éireann is composed of 60 members. The Taoiseach nominates 11 of the members and 49 members are elected in a Seanad election.

One of the Senators takes the role of Cathaoirleach, (Speaker/Chairperson) of the Senators. As the chairperson of the Seanad, the Cathaoirleach chairs the proceedings in the House and must act impartially. Senators are not officially separated into political parties. However, they usually divide into groups supporting and opposing Government business when voting on issues.

Local and Regional Government:
The Irish Constitution (Bunreacht na hEireann) recognises the role of local government in providing democratic representation of local communities. This recognition is set down in Article 28A of Bunreacht na hEireann. This recognition endorses the democratic representative role of local government and guarantees local elections in Ireland at least every five years.

Local government not only represents the people in the local communities, but also perform a number of important functions, including providing services such as water and waste collection to their areas. Local government has therefore both a representational and an operational role, with responsibility for a range of services. It operates through a network of directly elected local authorities which provide, among other things, a forum for the democratic representation of local communities, giving expression to local identity, identifying local concerns and setting local priorities.

To carry out their functions, local authorities are entrusted with certain powers.

Since the Local Government Act 2001, the local authorities have been renamed. There are now County Councils and City Councils (formerly County Borough Corporations). There are also town authorities known as Borough Councils and Town Councils (formerly called Borough Corporations, Urban District Councils and Town Commissioners).

Elections and Referenda:
In Ireland, the system of voting in all Dáil elections, Seanad elections, Presidential elections, European elections and local elections is proportional representation with a single transferable vote in multi-seat constituencies (3-, 4- and 5-seat constituencies at Dáil elections).

Proportional representation means that as a voter, you can indicate your first and subsequent choices for the candidates on the ballot paper. The names of the candidates will appear in alphabetical order on the ballot paper, together with their photographs and their party emblem (if they wish).

You indicate your first choice by writing 1 opposite your first choice and 2 opposite your second choice, 3 opposite your third choice and so on. You may stop marking your paper after 1 or any subsequent preference or you may go right down the ballot paper until a preference has been given to all candidates ending with the candidate of your lowest choice.

When you vote like this, you are instructing the Returning Officer to transfer your vote to the second choice candidate if your first choice is either elected with a surplus of votes over the quota or is eliminated. If your second choice is elected or eliminated, your vote may be transferred to your third choice and so on.

For referendums, if you are listed on the Register of Electors in Ireland, a polling card will be sent to your home before the referendum date. Your polling card will include your elector number and will tell you where you can vote. It will also include a formal statement explaining what the referendum is about.

If you want to see a full copy of the bill containing the proposal to amend the Constitution, you can do so at post offices and other public buildings. You may also receive information about the referendum from the Referendum Commission.

On the day of the referendum, you must go to the polling station stated on your polling card. There will be information available at the polling station explaining what the referendum is about. You will be given a ballot paper.

Voting is by secret ballot. Your ballot paper will contain short instructions on how to vote and will show the title of bill proposing to amend the Constitution. Your ballot paper will ask you whether you approve of the passing of the bill. You must mark "X" in either the "yes" or the "no" box on your ballot paper. You may fold your ballot paper to hide how you voted and place it in a sealed ballot box. You may only vote once at a referendum.

When all the votes are tallied, the referendum returning officer will announce the referendum result.

Government Departments:
Each minister of the Government is responsible for running and managing the department he or she has been allocated. There are a total of 15 Government Departments in Ireland. As well as the Cabinet minister assigned to the department, a Minister of State may also be appointed.

Each department employs a large number of civil servants, including a Secretary General, who remain in their positions regardless of changes in the Government. These officials advise and assist the minister in the running of the department.

The minister may suggest and propose new or amended legislation to the Government relating to matters that arise in his or her department.

Ministers also have a power to make "Statutory Instruments". These are also known as delegated or secondary legislation. Statutory Instruments allow the minister to give effect to or implement legislation without the need to have every detail passed by the Oireachtas. Statutory Instruments do not have to be approved by the Oireachtas, although they may be cancelled by either House.

The civil service are the public officials who advise and assist Government Ministers in the running of their Departments. The Constitution does not mention the civil service but it is vital to the functioning of the state.

The civil service has three main functions:

It advises the Government on policy
It helps prepare and draft new legislation and
It helps the Government to run the country according to the legislation passed by the Oireachtas.

Each Department of State has a permanent staff consisting of administrative, professional, specialist and technical employees. The head civil servant of each Department is the Secretary General, who is recommended by the Minister for that Department and appointed for a period of 7 years by the Government. Below the Secretary General, there are a number of Assistant Secretaries, who are each responsible for specific areas of work in the Department. Below the Assistant Secretaries, there are many officials at varying levels of seniority.

Each department has a permanent staff that remains in office regardless of changes in Government. The departments' staff are described as the civil service. If you have a complaint about a decision or action of a Government department or a public body, you may contact the Ombudsman.

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. This department regulates the agriculture and food industries.
Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. This department is responsible for the development of the arts in Ireland and has responsibility for the growth of sustainable tourism. In addition, the department promotes sport at local, regional, and national levels.
Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. This department has responsibility for the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors and regulates, protects and develops the marine and natural resources of Ireland. It also supervises sea transport and port services. The Geological Survey of Ireland is linked to this department.
Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. This department is responsible for community and local development in Ireland and promotes the development of inhabited offshore islands.
Department of Defence. This department manages and controls our defence forces.
Department of Education and Science. This department is responsible for providing public education at primary and post-primary levels. It also manages state subsidies for universities and third-level colleges.
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. This department is responsible for the promotion and development of enterprise, employment, trade, the protection of workers and the regulation of businesses.
Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. This department promotes development and protects amenities. It oversees the local authorities and has responsibility for the protection of natural heritage and heritage policy generally. In addition, the department has functions relating to housing, manages elections, and promotes the protection of the environment. The Meteorological Office, and the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland are linked to this department.
Department of Finance. This department is concerned with the economic and financial management of the state. It also advises the Government on the overall management and control of the public sector.
Department of Foreign Affairs. This Department promotes and protects our interests abroad. It also pursues peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland.
Department of Health and Children. This department is responsible for development of health policy and the planning of health services.
Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. This department aims to protect the security of the state, to prevent and tackle crime and to protect individuals' rights and freedoms. It also deals with immigration and asylum applications.
Department of Social and Family Affairs. This department provides financial and other forms of support to people in need of assistance, allowing them to participate in society in a postive way.
Department of the Taoiseach. This department provides administrative and research support services to the Taoiseach and the Government.
Department of Transport. This department is responsible for roads (other than local roads), driver testing, traffic issues, bus and rail transport, aviation policy, and road safety in Ireland.