Said and Done

How the Dáil works / Glossary

Explainer

Glossary

The words you will meet in the Dáil record, each in a sentence or two.

A

Abstained
A vote to neither support nor oppose. The official record calls it Staon.
Act
A bill that has passed both Houses and been signed by the President. It is now law.
Amendment
A proposed change to the wording of a bill or a motion. Each can be voted on separately.

B

Bill
A proposed law, on its way through the Dáil and the Seanad.
Business Committee
The committee that plans the Dáil's business for each week.

C

Cabinet
The Taoiseach and the senior ministers, meeting as the Government.
Ceann Comhairle
The chair of the Dáil, who keeps order, calls speakers and puts questions to the House. They are expected to be impartial and do not normally vote.
Committee Stage
The stage of a bill where it is examined section by section, usually in a select committee.
Constituency
An area that elects TDs. There are 43, each electing three, four or five.
Council of State
A group that advises the President, made up of senior office holders, some former office holders and people the President appoints. The President consults it before referring a bill to the Supreme Court.
Cream list
Amendments made to a bill by the second House, sent back to the first House to accept or reject.

D

Deferred division
A vote held back to the weekly voting block, usually on a Wednesday evening.
Dissolution
The end of a Dáil, followed within 30 days by a general election.
Division
A formal, recorded vote, in which every TD's vote is published.
Dáil Éireann
The House of the Oireachtas the public elects directly: 174 TDs in the 34th Dáil.

F

Fifth Stage
The last stage of a bill in a House, when that House passes it.
First Stage
The start of a bill's journey, when it is published.

G

General scheme
An outline of a planned Government bill, also called the heads of the bill, published for scrutiny before the text is written.
Government
The Taoiseach and senior ministers: between 7 and 15 people in all.

L

Lapsed
A bill that has fallen, for example because the Dáil was dissolved. A new Dáil can restore it.
Leaders' Questions
Questions from the leaders of parties and groups, answered by the Taoiseach on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and by the Tánaiste on Thursdays.
Leas-Cheann Comhairle
The deputy chair of the Dáil.

M

Minister
A member of the Government in charge of a department.
Minister of State
A junior minister who helps a senior minister with part of their work. Not a member of the Government.
Money Bill
A bill that deals only with taxes, public spending or borrowing, certified as such by the Ceann Comhairle. The Seanad can only recommend changes to it, within 21 days.
Money message
The Government's agreement to the spending a Private Member's Bill would involve. Without it, the bill cannot reach Committee Stage.
Motion
A proposal put to the House for a decision, such as a motion of confidence.

O

Official Report
The published record of what is said in the Dáil, lightly edited for reading. It is the source for this site's debates.
Oireachtas
Ireland's parliament: the President, the Dáil and the Seanad.
Oral question
A question answered by a minister in person in the chamber.
Order of Business
The week's arrangements, put to the House for approval, usually on a Tuesday.
Order Paper
The daily list of the Dáil's business.

P

Pairing
An arrangement between two TDs on opposite sides that neither will vote, so both can be away.
Pre-legislative scrutiny
A committee's examination of a Government bill's outline before the final text is written.
Priority Questions
Up to five oral questions a sitting day, each tabled by a spokesperson nominated by a party or a technical group.
Private Member's Bill
A bill brought in by a TD or senator who is not in the Government, whether in opposition or on the Government side.
Private notice question
An urgent question, allowed by the Ceann Comhairle, that could not wait for the normal deadlines.

Q

Questions on Policy or Legislation
Short questions to the Taoiseach, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, about promised legislation and Government business.

R

Recess
A break between sitting periods: a long one over the summer, and shorter ones at Christmas, at Easter and around several bank holidays.
Report Stage
The stage of a bill where the whole House considers amendments arising from Committee Stage.
Restoration to Order Paper
A vote to bring back a bill that lapsed, to the stage it had reached before.

S

Seanad Éireann
The other House of the Oireachtas, with 60 senators. It can delay bills but not stop them.
Second Stage
The debate on the general idea of a bill.
Select committee
A small group of TDs that examines bills and other matters in detail.
Standing Orders
The Dáil's own written rules for how it does its business.
Statements
Debates on a subject without a vote, often opened by a minister.
Statutory instrument
A detailed rule or order made by a minister or other body under an Act.

T

Taoiseach
The head of the Government, nominated by the Dáil and appointed by the President.
TD
A member of the Dáil. Short for Teachta Dála, which means a deputy of the Dáil.
Technical group
TDs from small parties, or from no party, who join together so that they get the speaking time and rights of a party, such as Priority Questions.
Teller
A TD who oversees the count in a division and signs the result sheet.
Topical Issues
Short debates on issues TDs raise, up to four a day, picked by the Ceann Comhairle.
Tá, Níl, Staon
The official record's words for Yes, No and Abstained. This site uses the English.
Tánaiste
The deputy head of the Government.

V

Vótáil
What a TD calls out to challenge the Chair's call on a voice vote, which leads to a division.

W

Weekly voting block
The set time, usually Wednesday evening, when non-urgent votes are taken together.
Whip
The person in each party who organises its TDs for votes, and the party's expectation of how they vote.
Written question
A question to a minister answered in writing and published in the Official Report.

Sources

From the Houses of the Oireachtas and the Constitution, checked on 24 September 2026. The official guidance is the authority; if anything here differs from it, it wins.