| 32nd Dáil | |||||||||||
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| Overview | |||||||||||
| Legislative body | Dáil Éireann | ||||||||||
| Jurisdiction | Ireland | ||||||||||
| Meeting place | Leinster House | ||||||||||
| Term | 10 March 2016 – 14 January 2020 | ||||||||||
| Election | 2016 general election | ||||||||||
| Government |
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| Members | 158 | ||||||||||
| Ceann Comhairle | Seán Ó Fearghaíl | ||||||||||
| Leas-Cheann Comhairle | Pat "the Cope" Gallagher | ||||||||||
| Taoiseach | Leo Varadkar —Enda Kenny until 14 June 2017 | ||||||||||
| Tánaiste | Simon Coveney —Frances Fitzgerald until 28 November 2017 | ||||||||||
| Chief Whip | Seán Kyne | ||||||||||
| Leader of the Opposition | Micheál Martin | ||||||||||
| Sessions | |||||||||||
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The32nd Dáil was elected at the2016 general election on 26 February and first met at 10.30 a.m. on 10 March 2016.[1] The members ofDáil Éireann, thehouse of representatives of theOireachtas (legislature) ofIreland, are known asTDs. It sat with the25th Seanad as the two Houses of the Oireachtas.
The 32nd Dáil was dissolved byPresidentMichael D. Higgins on 14 January 2020, at the request of theTaoiseachLeo Varadkar.[2][3] The 32nd Dáil lasted 3 years, 310 days.
| Party | Feb. 2016 | Jan. 2020 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Gael | 50 | 47 |  3 | |
| Fianna Fáil | 44 | 45 |  1 | |
| Sinn Féin | 23 | 22 | 1 | |
| Labour | 7 | 7 |  | |
| Solidarity–PBP[c] | 6 | 6 | | |
| Independent Alliance[b] | 6 | 3 | 3 | |
| Inds. 4 Change | 4 | 1 | 3 | |
| Social Democrats | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Green | 2 | 3 | 1 | |
| Aontú | — | 1 | 1 | |
| Independent[a] | 13 | 19 | 6 | |
| Ceann Comhairle | — | 1 | 1 | |
| Vacant | — | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 158 | |||
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The first act of the 32nd Dáil was theelection of the Ceann Comhairle.[4] This was the first time the Ceann Comhairle was elected by secret ballot.
On 2 June 2016,Seán Crowe,Mattie McGrath,Pat "the Cope" Gallagher andBernard Durkan were nominated for the position of Leas-Cheann Comhairle. No candidate was elected by resolution.[5] On 6 July, the Dáil proceeded to an election by secret ballot using the single transferable vote. On 7 July, Gallagher was declared elected and approved by resolution.[6]
| Committee | Position | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, Food and the Marine | Chair | Pat Deering | Fine Gael | |
| Budgetary Oversight | Chair | John Paul Phelan | Fine Gael | |
| Children and Youth Affairs | Chair | Alan Farrell | Fine Gael | |
| Communications, Climate Action and the Environment | Chair | Hildegarde Naughton | Fine Gael | |
| Education and Social Protection | Chair | Fiona O'Loughlin | Fianna Fáil | |
| European Union Affairs | Chair | Michael Healy-Rae | Independent | |
| Vice Chair | Terry Leyden | Fianna Fáil | ||
| Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach | Chair | John McGuinness | Fianna Fáil | |
| Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defense | Chair | Brendan Smith | Fianna Fáil | |
| Vice Chair | Maureen O'Sullivan | Independent | ||
| Future of Healthcare | Chair | Róisín Shortall | Social Democrats | |
| Health | Chair | Michael Harty | Independent | |
| Housing, Planning and Local Government | Chair | Noel Rock | Fine Gael | |
| Housing and Homelessness | Chair | John Curran | Fianna Fáil | |
| Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement | Chair | Kathleen Funchion | Sinn Féin | |
| Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands | Chair | Catherine Connolly | Independent | |
| Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation | Chair | Mary Butler | Fianna Fáil | |
| Justice and Equality | Chair | Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin | Sinn Féin | |
| Members' Interests of Dáil Éireann | Chair | Maria Bailey | Fine Gael | |
| Petitions | Chair | Seán Sherlock | Labour Party | |
| Procedure and Privileges (Dáil) | Chair | Seán Ó Fearghaíl | Ceann Comhairle | |
| – Sub-Committee on Dáil Reform | Chair | Seán Ó Fearghaíl | Ceann Comhairle | |
| Public Accounts Committee | Chair | Seán Fleming | Fianna Fáil | |
| Vice Chair | Alan Kelly | Labour Party | ||
| Rural Development, Rural Affairs, Arts and the Gaeltacht | Chair | Peadar Tóibín | Sinn Féin | |
| Social Protection | Chair | John Curran | Fianna Fáil | |
| Transport, Tourism and Sport | Chair | Brendan Griffin | Fine Gael | |
^ +: Elected for the first time at the2016 general election.
^ ‡: Previously served as member of the Dáil non-consecutively to the current consecutive terms of office.
^ #: Member of the24th Seanad at time of election.
^ §: Returned automatically without standing for election as outgoingCeann Comhairle, in accordance with Article 16.6 of theConstitution of Ireland.
This is a list of TDs elected to Dáil Éireann in the2016 general election. TheChanges table below records changes in membership and party affiliation.
In the wake of the2016 general election, which saw a significant increase in the number of TDs elected as independents or from small parties in the 32nd Dáil, the Dáil standing orders were extensively revised to reduce the minimum number for the formation of atechnical group from seven TDs to five, and to allow multiple technical groups to exist in parallel. In January 2018, there were three groups; Independents 4 Change Group (7), Social Democrats–Green Party Group (5) and the Rural Independents Group (7).[7]
| Party | Name[8] | Constituency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent (7) | Michael Collins | Cork South-West | |
| Noel Grealish | Galway West | ||
| Danny Healy-Rae | Kerry | ||
| Michael Healy-Rae | Kerry | ||
| Michael Harty | Clare | ||
| Michael Lowry | Tipperary | ||
| Mattie McGrath | Tipperary | ||
For the first time, two siblings were elected to Dáil Éireann from the same constituency:Michael andDanny Healy-Rae forKerry.[9]
Having become the first openly lesbian member of theOireachtas and the first member in a recognised same-sex relationship with her Seanad nomination in 2011,Katherine Zappone also became the first openly lesbianTeachta Dála (TD) after being elected to the Dáil in 2016, and later the first openly lesbian member of government.[10]
Independents 4 Change, theSocial Democrats andAontú had their first TDs.
On 14 June 2017 Leo Varadkar became the first openly gay Taoiseach.[11]
Malcolm Byrne became the first openly gay manto win a by-election, and the first openly gay Fianna Fáil TD.