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THE 2023-2024 Dáil term has come to a close as TDs sit for the final time in Leinster House tonight ahead of the summer recess.
Senators on the other hand, have one final week remaining, as work continues on the Planning and Development Bill and the Courts (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, which will give the Government power to revoke an individual’s citizenship.
TDs will not be required to return to Leinster House over the course of the nine week break, where they are expected to focus on constituency work in their electoral areas.
For most, the time off from the Dáil will be used to prepare for a general election, which many in the corridors of Leinster House believe is likely to be called in October.
It is widely suspected that Finance Minister Jack Chambers’ decision to move the Budget forward by a week to October 1 comes amid Government plans to hold an Autumn election. However, this has been flatly denied by the Taoiseach and other senior Government members.
Time will tell, but with candidate selection conventions underway across the country, the groundwork is certainly being set.
Between February’s referendums and the local and European elections in June, it’s been an eventful year in politics. And that’s not to mention the shock resignation of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in March and the leader of the Green Party, Eamon Ryan in June.
Housing, health system failures, immigration, and law and order issues dominated the agenda on a national level, while Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, following Hamas’s October 7 attack, both continue to command the international agenda.
The last few weeks have seen Government scurry to box off certain promised legislation before the Dáil breaks.
Just today, it has finalised legislation to ban 51-week leases for students and the Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking Bill, which will among other things, ensure that character references in court will be given under oath or affidavit in sexual offence trials.
Other pieces of legislation, like the hate crime bill, have been put on the long-finger until next term.
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9 week break. Ffs.
@Eric Gaffney: wrong, same BS every year. TDs, like most people, tend to take 2 weeks holidays during the summer, and the rest of the 9 weeks they are working in their constituencies.
@Eric Gaffney: Sure, Maura agus Daithi get 14 weeks for the Summer but Daithi does the Rose so he is still working in his ‘constituency’ .
@Pat Hazzard: Are they…really…and you know this how… clown!
@Eric Gaffney: and let’s not forget the 6 weeks at Christmas, poor old devils, they’ve their fingers worked to the bone!
@Andrew Clavin: interesting stat. Where did you find that?
@Andrew Clavin: some don’t even get the 2 weeks, ministers are usually in budget mode for the summer and jetting off to Spain isn’t an option
If a business can’t close for 2 months every year, how can the running of a country?
@9QRixo8H: don’t forget easter and Christmas breaks….. another 6-8 weeks
@9QRixo8H: Dail not sitting has nothing to do with the Executive.
@Pat Hazzard: heard you the first time and still not believing you Pat
Cathal Crotty would not be discharged from the Army if it were not for the campaign by Natasha O’Brien and the outcry of the Irish people. We need more people like her to highlight the crazy justice system we have, that treats the criminal with more respect than the victim. The number of pedophiles getting suspended sentences is frightening .It can’t be just a coincidence.
@Patrick MC Dermott:
Maybe he turned up in court for his trial wearing Limerick GAA jersey?
They’ve a great time of it
Would we ever notice, if not told ?
@Tom: The Civil Service runs the country!
Great little country to do business in and all those FG tds swanning off into the sunset with their couple of pensions.
@Willie Marty: All TDs elected after April 1st, 2004, cannot receive a pension until they reach 65 years of age. To work out a TD’s basic pension you divide his or her salary by 40 and then multiply it by the number of years they’ve served in the Dáil. A cap of 20 years service applies.
Lazy bas tards. Plain and simple.
If the Russians and North Koreans launch a sneak rocket attack, the Dail and Senate will be immediately recalled.
Nothing to worry about for next 9 weeks no forests going missing tenants in tents on canal can relax no one in the hospitals and a and e departments accountable rte can carry on regardless no one will be annoying bakhurst about Ryan’s depth or dees health or bredas flip flops everything will stop and we can all have a grand summer and pick up in the autumn when it’s getting cold and people with home’s can heat them and people with no home’s have no chance of getting one pensioners will get a euro a day in the budget and we can look forward to an election where we will be shown how low these people will sink for power
@Stephen Byrne: is your ‘full stop’ and ‘comma’ button broken?
Should stay on holiday’s and not come back
Sure it’s quiet during the summer months, nothing of importance happens, they deserve the break. Fair play to them
What was the northern faction of Sinn Fein doing in the Republic Of Ireland Dail today all smiles and pomp?? Genuine question….
Rural Politicians lose a lot of money during recess a lot share car journeys and claim the full allowance each imagine how much they lose coming from cork or kerry sligo donegal does anyone check this that’s why a sandwich is cut in two halves half for you half for me and we claim for 1 each oh and could we have a cup of coffee with two straws
Big long finger to everyone.
Should not have any recess for the time you are elected, except some exception like the people they forgot they served
It’s a great tradition summer holidays Easter break st patricks day trips Christmas recess our politicians work so hard driving the long way to the dail we’re just a nation of ungrateful begruders
Our so called Government get 64 days off a year . It beggers belief . Do they deserve all this time off . Joe Soap gets 21 days , that’s sick. No wonder they were laughing like Cheshire cats .
Sure wouldnt ya know they all started off as teachers!!
Kinda sad, kinda happy. But time to move on. Best of luck to all.
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