Houses of the Oireachtas Commission publishes annual report for 2024

The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission has published its 2024 Annual Report which presents an overview of the work of the Commission over the past year in performing its functions. As well as providing details of parliamentary activity throughout 2024 it also accounts for the public money spent in running the Houses of the Oireachtas last year.

Read the report in full here.

The Commission's budget for the next three years was enacted with funding of €565 million allocated under the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Act 2024 for running the Houses of the Oireachtas for the 2025-2027 period. The Houses are funded from taxpayers' money and the Commission will continue to exercise prudent stewardship of public resources in running the Houses of the Oireachtas over the next three years.

This is the third and final annual report on the implementation of the Strategic Plan 2022-2024, which outlines the work of the Houses of the Oireachtas Service over the past year.

Notable statistics for 2024:

• A total of 1,251 sitting hours across both Houses.
• The 34th Dáil sees the largest number of Teachtaí Dála ever elected to take their seats in Dáil Éireann.
• The publication of a new Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
• The Irish Sign Language (ISL) team won an award for its glossary of new signs for parliamentary terms on Oireachtas.ie.
• The first Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy was launched.
• The Oireachtas Work Learning (OWL) Programme was the recipient of the Advancing Disability Equality Award at the National Diversity and Inclusion Awards.
• The Oireachtas Green Team was established, and launched in July 2024 to integrate sustainability into the way the organisation works.
• The HOO hosted the 22nd Autumn Meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCEPA) for the first time.
• The task force on Safe Participation in Political Life published their report and made 16 actionable recommendations that are addressed to various stakeholders in the Houses of the Oireachtas, Party Leaders, An Garda Síochána, Government Department and agencies, and social media.
• The continued implementation of the Oireachtas Cyber Security Strategy and Roadmap and Cyber Security Newsletter.

Dáil Éireann

• The Dáil sat for 83 days, (777 hours).
• There were 165 Dáil Divisions.
• There were 49,923 Parliamentary Questions and replies processed.
• The Dáil Business Committee held 29 meetings.
• There were 277 Topical Issues selected.

Seanad Éireann

• Seanad sat for 76 days, (474 hours).
• There were 99 Seanad Divisions.
• There were 298 Commencements matters tabled.

Bills and the Legislative Process

• There were 98 Bills initiated.
• 65 initiated in the Dáil, 35 of which were Government Bills and 30 were Private Members Bills.
• 33 Bills were initiated in the Seanad, 4 Government Bill and 29 Private Member Bills.
• There were 6,506 Amendments proposed to Bills. 44% more than in 2023.
• There were 48 Bills passed by both Houses, all Government Bills.
• The Houses received 60 EU legislative proposals and concluded consideration on 96. There was a reduction from 2023 (157 EU legislative proposals, concluded considerations on 152) due to the European Parliament Elections that were held in July 2024.
• There were 5 political contributions published by 6 Committees.

Debate

• There were 2,435 hours of parliamentary debates and there were 30,332 pages reported and published of the proceedings in the Dáil, Seanad and Parliamentary Committee. 9 Dáil Bound Volumes.

Committees

• There were 751 Committee Meetings, a total of 1,184 hours.
• 2,235 witnesses appeared before the Committees.
• There were 81 reports presented by Committees.

Public engagement

• Oireachtas.ie saw 2,461,085 visitors and 5,655,239 website page views.
• Leinster House hosted 68,690 visitors.
• Leinster House had 30 Protocol Unit Visits. This included 1 Head of state, 6 Government Ministers and 11 Ambassadors on official business.

Speaking on the publication of the report, Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy said: "The report outlines the work carried out by the Commission and members of both Houses of the Oireachtas over the past year in serving the interests of the people we serve. On behalf of all members, I hope you find great interest in reading about the important work undertaken at the heart of our parliamentary institution."

"I would like to thank former Ceann Comhairle, Seán Ó Fearghaíl TD, and former members of the Commission for their stewardship of the Houses of the Oireachtas for the past five years and for their work in leading the Commission in advancing important initiatives that will serve the Houses for many years to come."

"The period covered by the report includes the dissolution of 33rd Dáil, followed by the general elections to both Houses of the Oireachtas, the beginning of the 34th Dáil and the 27th Seanad, and the elections of the Ceann Comhairle and the Cathaoirleach of the Seanad."

"An historic milestone was also achieved with the election of the first woman to serve as Ceann Comhairle of the 34th Dáil based on a secret ballot of members taken on 18 December 2024. As Ceann Comhairle, I am deeply honoured to serve in this important role."

"This year the Commission will approve a new Strategic Plan for the three-year period ahead, which will build on the achievements to date to ensure that the Service is best placed to respond to the evolving needs of members of the Houses and the people they serve."

"Last year, the Commission established a scheme to support members of the Houses who wish to install additional security measures in their constituency offices and homes. Given the increased climate of hostility experienced by members, the scheme was further improved last year to ensure that it continues to meet the security requirements of members and support them to carry out the work for which they were elected without fearing for their personal safety or the safety of their staff."

Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann Senator Mark Daly said: "In an ever-changing world it is important that the Houses of the Oireachtas continue to foster positive relations with parliaments around the world through engaging in dialogue and sharing perspectives on matters of mutual interest. As we look to the future, the Commission will continue to support opportunities to foster cooperation and engagement with parliaments and parliamentarians internationally in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Houses in interparliamentary relations."

"We express our appreciation for the achievements of the Service over the past year. The commitment of staff to serving the Houses and their members is highly valued by the Commission. We would like to record our gratitude for their work and professionalism."