| 31st Dáil | |||||||||||||
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| Overview | |||||||||||||
| Legislative body | Dáil Éireann | ||||||||||||
| Jurisdiction | Ireland | ||||||||||||
| Meeting place | Leinster House | ||||||||||||
| Term | 9 March 2011 – 3 February 2016 | ||||||||||||
| Election | 2011 general election | ||||||||||||
| Government | 29th government of Ireland | ||||||||||||
| Members | 166 | ||||||||||||
| Ceann Comhairle | Seán Barrett | ||||||||||||
| Leas-Cheann Comhairle | Michael P. Kitt | ||||||||||||
| Taoiseach | Enda Kenny | ||||||||||||
| Tánaiste | Joan Burton —Eamon Gilmore until 4 July 2014 | ||||||||||||
| Chief Whip | Paul Kehoe | ||||||||||||
| Leader of the Opposition | Micheál Martin | ||||||||||||
| Sessions | |||||||||||||
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The31st Dáil was elected at the2011 general election on 25 February 2011 and first met at midday on 9 March 2011 inLeinster House.[1] The members ofDáil Éireann, thehouse of representatives of theOireachtas (legislature) ofIreland, are known asTDs. It sat with the24th Seanad as the two Houses of the Oireachtas.
The 2011 election saw 17Dáil constituencies return 3 TDs each, 15 constituencies return 4 TDs each and 11 constituencies return 5 TDs each, for a total of 166.Seán Barrett was elected asCeann Comhairle in the first sitting of the Dáil.[2] For the first time,Fine Gael, led byEnda Kenny, became the largest party. It formed acoalition government with theLabour Party, led byEamon Gilmore, who had achieved their highest number of seats in the party's history. In July 2014,Joan Burton won aLabour Party leadership election to become theleader of the Labour Party andTánaiste.
Fianna Fáil secured 20 seats, the lowest in the party's history, and was the largest opposition party. The leader of the party,Micheál Martin became theLeader of the Opposition.Gerry Adams as leader ofSinn Féin became the second opposition leader. Atechnical group was formed following the election composed of 16independent politicians and members of theUnited Left Alliance, who failed to win enough seats to gain speaking rights.[3]
Almost half of the members of the 30th Dáil were absent from the 31st: 31 members retired before the poll and a further 45 TDs lost their seats at the election. 76 new TDs were elected to the Dáil, 46% of the total.[4]
The 31st Dáil was dissolved byPresidentMichael D. Higgins on 3 February 2016, at the request of the TaoiseachEnda Kenny.[5] The 31st Dáil lasted 4 years, 331 days.
| Party | Feb. 2011 | Jan. 2016 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | Fine Gael | 76 | 66 |  10 |
| ● | Labour | 37 | 33 | 4 |
| Fianna Fáil | 20 | 21 |  1 | |
| Sinn Féin | 14 | 14 |  | |
| Socialist Party | 2 | — | 2 | |
| People Before Profit | 2 | — | 2 | |
| Workers and Unemployed | 1 | 1 | | |
| AAA–PBP | — | 4 | 4 | |
| Renua | — | 3 | 3 | |
| Social Democrats | — | 3 | 3 | |
| Independent | 14 | 19 | 5 | |
| Ceann Comhairle | — | 1 | 1 | |
| Vacant | — | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 166 | | ||
Government coalition parties are denoted with bullets (●)
The following illustrates the composition of the 31st Dáil at the time of its first sitting on 9 March 2011 (afterSeán Barrett (Fine Gael) took office asCeann Comhairle). This is not the official seating plan. The government parties sit to the left of the Ceann Comhairle and opposition parties sit to the right.
The following illustrates the composition at the time of its dissolution in February 2016.
The Socialist Party, People Before Profit Alliance, Workers and Unemployed Action Group and someIndependent TDs sat together as atechnical group, which was later joined by Renua and the Social Democrats.
On 9 March 2011,Seán Barrett (FG) was proposed byEnda Kenny for the position ofCeann Comhairle. He was approved without a vote.[6]
This is a list of TDs elected to Dáil Éireann in the2011 general election, sorted by party.[7] Note this table is a record of the 2011 general election results. TheChanges table below records all changes in party affiliation.
^ +: Elected for the first time at the2011 general election.
^ §: Returned automatically without standing for election as outgoingCeann Comhairle, in accordance with Article 16.6 of theConstitution of Ireland.[8]
| Date | Constituency | Loss | Gain | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 March 2011 | Dún Laoghaire | Fine Gael | Ceann Comhairle | Seán Barrett is elected as Ceann Comhairle.[6] | ||
| 10 June 2011 | Dublin West | Fianna Fáil | Death ofBrian Lenihan.[9] | |||
| 7 July 2011 | Roscommon–South Leitrim | Fine Gael | Independent | Denis Naughten loses the Fine Gael party whip for opposing closure of Roscommon County Hospital emergency department.[10] | ||
| 29 October 2011 | Dublin West | Labour | Patrick Nulty wins theDublin West by-election, taking the seat vacated by the death of Brian Lenihan.[11] | |||
| 15 November 2011 | Longford–Westmeath | Labour | Independent | Willie Penrose resigns the Labour Party whip over the closure of an army barracks.[12] | ||
| 1 December 2011 | Dublin North-East | Labour | Independent | Tommy Broughan loses the Labour Party whip after voting against the Government on a vote relating to the Bank Guarantee Scheme.[13] | ||
| 6 December 2011 | Dublin West | Labour | Independent | Patrick Nulty loses the Labour Party whip after voting against theVAT increase in the2012 budget.[14] | ||
| 31 August 2012 | Dublin North | Socialist Party | Independent | Clare Daly resigns from the Socialist Party.[15] | ||
| 26 September 2012 | Dublin North-West | Labour | Independent | Róisín Shortall resigns as Minister of State for Primary Care and the Labour Party whip.[16] | ||
| 13 December 2012 | Galway East | Labour | Independent | Colm Keaveney loses the Labour Party whip after voting against part of the2013 budget.[17] | ||
| 21 December 2012 | Meath East | Fine Gael | Death ofShane McEntee.[18] | |||
| 27 March 2013 | Meath East | Fine Gael | Helen McEntee wins theMeath East by-election, taking the seat vacated by the death of Shane McEntee.[19] | |||
| 25 April 2013 | Dublin South-Central | People Before Profit | Independent | Joan Collins leaves the People Before Profit Alliance and forms theUnited Left, while remaining an independent TD.[20] | ||
| 2 July 2013 | Dublin South | Fine Gael | Independent | Peter Mathews loses the Fine Gael party whip for voting against theProtection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013.[21] | ||
| 2 July 2013 | Wicklow | Fine Gael | Independent | Billy Timmins loses the Fine Gael party whip for voting against theProtection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013.[21] | ||
| 2 July 2013 | Galway West | Fine Gael | Independent | Brian Walsh loses the Fine Gael party whip for voting against theProtection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013.[21] | ||
| 2 July 2013 | Dublin North-East | Fine Gael | Independent | Terence Flanagan loses the Fine Gael party whip for voting against theProtection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013.[21] | ||
| 11 July 2013 | Dublin South-East | Fine Gael | Independent | Lucinda Creighton loses the Fine Gael party whip for voting against theProtection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013.[22] | ||
| 12 July 2013 | Meath West | Sinn Féin | Independent | Peadar Tóibín is suspended from the Sinn Féin parliamentary party for voting against theProtection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013.[23] | ||
| 7 October 2013 | Longford–Westmeath | Independent | Labour | Willie Penrose rejoins the parliamentary Labour Party.[24] | ||
| 3 December 2013 | Galway East | Independent | Fianna Fáil | Colm Keaveney joins Fianna Fáil.[25] | ||
| 12 January 2014 | Meath West | Independent | Sinn Féin | Peadar Tóibín rejoins the Sinn Féin parliamentary party after a six month suspension for voting against theProtection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013. | ||
| 22 March 2014 | Dublin West | Independent | Resignation ofPatrick Nulty.[26] | |||
| 25 March 2014 | Longford–Westmeath | Fine Gael | Death ofNicky McFadden.[27] | |||
| 30 April 2014 | Galway West | Independent | Fine Gael | Brian Walsh rejoins the Fine Gael parliamentary party.[28] | ||
| 23 May 2014 | Dublin West | Socialist Party | Ruth Coppinger wins theDublin West by-election, taking the seat vacated by the resignation of Patrick Nulty.[29] | |||
| 23 May 2014 | Longford–Westmeath | Fine Gael | Gabrielle McFadden wins theLongford–Westmeath by-election, taking the seat vacated by the death of Nicky McFadden. | |||
| 26 May 2014 | Roscommon–South Leitrim | Independent | Resignation ofLuke 'Ming' Flanagan after election to theEuropean Parliament.[30] | |||
| 26 May 2014 | Dublin South-West | Fine Gael | Resignation ofBrian Hayes after election to theEuropean Parliament.[31] | |||
| 11 October 2014 | Dublin South-West | Anti-Austerity Alliance | Paul Murphy takes the seat vacated by the resignation of Brian Hayes.[32] | |||
| 11 October 2014 | Roscommon–South Leitrim | Independent | Michael Fitzmaurice wins theRoscommon–South Leitrim by-election, taking the seat vacated by the resignation of Luke 'Ming' Flanagan.[33] | |||
| 30 October 2014 | Carlow–Kilkenny | Fine Gael | Resignation ofPhil Hogan upon appointment to theEuropean Commission.[34] | |||
| 10 February 2015 | Wicklow | Labour | Independent | Anne Ferris loses the Labour Party whip for voting in favour of providing for abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities. | ||
| 13 March 2015 | Dublin South-East | Independent | Renua | Lucinda Creighton joins Renua on its foundation.[35] | ||
| 13 March 2015 | Wicklow | Independent | Renua | Billy Timmins joins Renua on its foundation.[35] | ||
| 13 March 2015 | Dublin North-East | Independent | Renua | Terence Flanagan joins Renua on its foundation.[35] | ||
| 23 May 2015 | Carlow–Kilkenny | Fianna Fáil | Bobby Aylward wins theCarlow–Kilkenny by-election, taking the seat vacated by the resignation of Phil Hogan.[36] | |||
| 29 May 2015 | Clare | Labour | Independent | Michael McNamara loses the Labour Party whip for voting against the sale of the State's stake inAer Lingus.[37] | ||
| 15 July 2015 | Wicklow | Independent | Social Democrats | Stephen Donnelly joins the Social Democrats on its foundation.[38] | ||
| 15 July 2015 | Kildare North | Independent | Social Democrats | Catherine Murphy joins the Social Democrats on its foundation.[38] | ||
| 15 July 2015 | Dublin North-West | Independent | Social Democrats | Róisín Shortall joins the Social Democrats on its foundation.[38] | ||
| 16 July 2015 | Wicklow | Independent | Labour | Anne Ferris rejoins the parliamentary Labour Party.[39] | ||
| 16 September 2015 | Clare | Independent | Labour | Michael McNamara rejoins the parliamentary Labour Party.[40] | ||
| 26 September 2015 | Dublin South-West | Labour | Independent | Eamonn Maloney resigns from the Labour Party.[41] | ||
| 24 November 2015 | Cavan–Monaghan | Fine Gael | Independent | Seán Conlan resigns from Fine Gael.[42] | ||
| 14 January 2016 | Galway West | Fine Gael | Resignation ofBrian Walsh due to health concerns.[43] | |||