An Comhchoiste ar an mBunreacht
Airteageal 16: An córas toghcháin chun Comhaltaí de Dháil
Éireann a thoghadh
2 Feabhra 2010
Coláiste na Tríonóide
Joint Committee on the Constitution
Article 16 of the Constitution: The electoral system for the
election of Members of Dáil Éireann
2 February 2010
Trinity College
Orders of Dáil Éirean and Seanad Éireann
On 26 January 2010 Dáil Éireann ordered—
“That Dáil Éireann, in accordance with Article 15.1.3° of the
Constitution, hereby determines that the Joint Committee on
the Constitution may meet in Trinity College Dublin on 2
February 2010 in connection with its public deliberations on
the Electoral System.”
On 26 January 2010 Seanad Éireann ordered—
“That Seanad Éireann, in accordance with Article 15.1.3° of
the Constitution, hereby determines that the Joint Committee
on the Constitution may meet in Trinity College Dublin on 2
February 2010 in connection with its public deliberations on
the Electoral System.”
Functions and Powers
The Joint Committee was established by Orders of Dáil
Éireann of 23 October 2007 and Seanad Éireann of 24
October 2007. The Committee’s task is to complete a full
review of the Constitution in order to provide focus to the
place and relevance of the Constitution and to establish
those areas where Constitutional change may be desirable
or necessary.
Further information on the ongoing work and publications of the Joint
Committee on the Constitution are available on the Committee’s web page on
www.oireachtas.ie
Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Membership
Deputy Seán Ardagh was elected Chairman of the Joint
Committee on 31 October 2007. Deputy Jim O’Keeffe was
elected as Vice-Chairman of the Joint Committee on the same
date.
The Members of the Committee are:
Deputies:
Seán Ardagh (FF)
(Chairman)
Jim O’Keeffe (FG)
(Vice-Chairman)
Jimmy Devins (FF)
Michael D’Arcy (FG)
Tom Hayes (FG)
Brendan Howlin (LAB)
(Leas Cheann Comhairle)
Michael Kennedy (FF)
Denis Naughten (FG)
Ned O’Keeffe (FF)
Mary O’Rourke (FF)
Michael Woods (FF)
Senators:
Dan Boyle (Green Party)
Denis O’Donovan (FF)
Eugene Regan (FG)
Alex White (LAB)
The Joint Committee would like to thank Trinity College and in
particular the Irish Politics Junior Sophister class, the Department
of Political Science, Dr. Elaine Byrne, Séin Ó Muineacháin and
Matthew Wall, for their invitation and work in organising and
hosting this historic event.
Deputies
Séan Ardagh
(Fianna Fáil)
Chairman
Jimmy Devins
(Fianna Fáil)
Brendan Howlin
(Labour Party)
Leas Ceann Comhairle
Jim O’Keeffe
(Fine Gael)
Vice- Chairman
Michael D’Arcy
(Fine Gael)
Tom Hayes
(Fine Gael)
Michael Kennedy
(Fianna Fáil)
Denis Naughten
(Fine Gael)
Ned O’Keeffe
(Fianna Fáil)
Mary O’Rourke
(Fianna Fáil)
Michael Woods
(Fianna Fáil)
Senators
Dan Boyle
(Green Party)
Denis O’Donovan
(Fianna Fáil)
Eugene Regan
(Fine Gael)
Alex White
(Labour Party)
Work of the Joint Committee to Date
Since its establishment in November 2007 the Committee has
considered and reported to the Houses of the Oireachtas on:

Article 40.6.1.i of the Constitution: Freedom of
Expression

Article 40.6.1° Amendment of the Constitution
and the Referendum

Article 16: The Electoral System for the
election of Members to Dáil Éireann
Work in Progress and General Areas of
Consideration
The Joint Committee is currently continuing its work on
Article 16 of the Constitution - the electoral system for the
election of members of Dáil Éireann, and the drafting of its
Third Report: The Electoral System, the Representative
Role of TDs and Proposals for Change (First Interim Report).
The Joint Committee will review the following provisions of
the Constitution during 2010:
i. Article 16: The electoral system for the election
of Members of Dáil Éireann (continued from
2009)
ii. Article 15: Committees of the Houses of the
Oireachtas - exercise of powers and interaction
with the Constitution
iii. The Lisbon Treaty: Provisions of the Lisbon
Treaty as it may select and their impact on the
Constitution
iv. Article 40.6.1°.ii: Freedom of Assembly
v. Article 40.6.1°.iii: Freedom of Association
Programme
Joint Committee on the Constitution of the Houses of the
Oireachtas
Formal Session at the Public Theatre (Examination Hall) Trinity
College Dublin
2 February 2010
Hosted by
TCD Irish Politics Junior Sophister class and the TCD Department
of Political Science
7.00pm
Chairman, Deputy Seán Ardagh opens the
formal sitting of the Joint Committee on the
Constitution of the Houses of the Oireachtas
7.05pm
Welcome by the Provost of Trinity College, Dr
John Hegarty
7.10 pm
Submissions: Irish Politics Junior Sophister
class, Department of Political Science
Talya Housman, Ciara Begley, Kimberley
Moran, Barry Cahill, Declan Harmon, Barra
Roantree, Dave Keogh, Julianne Cox, Daniel
Philbin Bowman.
7.40 pm
Committee Members’ reaction & discussion
8.30pm
Formal sitting concludes.
8.35pm
Panel discussion chaired by honorary Trinity
fellow, Dr. John Bowman with guests:
Noel Dempsey T.D., Minister for Transport
Professor Ken Benoit, Head of the Department of
Political Science
Senator Ivana Bacik, Trinity Fellow
Seán Ardagh, Chair of the Joint Committee on the
Constitution
Jim O’Keeffe, Vice Chair of the Joint Committee
on the Constitution
The Hon. Mr. Justice Frank Clarke
9.25pm
Concluding remarks by Deputy Seán Ardagh,
Chair of the Joint Committee on the Constitution
9.30pm
Concluding remarks by Professor Kenneth
Benoit, Professor of Quantitative Social Sciences
and Head of the Department of Political Science
9.35pm
Reception
GMB conversation room
Irish Politics Junior Sophister class and guests
Joint Committees of the Houses of the Oireachtas
Joint Committees of the Houses of the Oireachtas are made
up of Members drawn from Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann.
These Parliamentary Committees are appointed for the life of
the Parliament and re-established after each parliamentary
election. The Chairman and Vice-Chairman are elected from
among the Committee’s members.
The powers of a Joint Committees are derived from the
Standing Orders of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann. On its
establishment, powers are delegated to a Committee by way
of an order of each House referring particular matters to it
for consideration. In carrying out its work the committee acts
in accordance with its Orders of Reference.
Parliamentary Committees exercise oversight and scrutiny of
Government policy and activities of Government. They also
provide a forum for members of the public to have their say
on matters under consideration.
Each Committee has its own defined area of activity. In
furtherance of its orders of reference the Committee may:
o Receive oral and written
individuals and groups
presentations
from
o Invite Ministers to attend meetings to discuss
government policy
o Invite civil servants to provide non-confidential
information on administrative matters
o Invite written
consideration
submissions
on
matters
under
o Make reports, setting out its conclusions and
recommendations, to the Houses of the Oireachtas for
debate
o Receive visiting delegations from other parliaments
A list of parliamentary Committees can be found on the
website
of
the
Houses
of
the
Oireachtas
www.oireachtas.ie