BellTime Magazine Autumn 2018 BellTime 10 lr | Page 24

BellTIME
The National Parliament (Oireachtas)
consists of the President and two
Houses: Dáil Éireann (House of
Representatives) and Seanad Éireann
(the Senate) whose functions and
powers derive from the Constitution of
Ireland enacted by the people on 1
July 1937. The Houses of the
Oireachtas are situated at Leinster
House, Dublin. We welcomed over
100,000 visitors to the parliament in
2016. These visitors typically come to
meet Members, give evidence to
committees, take part in tours or
otherwise engage with the
parliamentary process. Ireland has a
vibrant political democracy which is of
value to its citizens and gives stability,
certainty and lasting benefit to all parts
of Irish society. Year after year,the
Members of the Houses of the
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Oireachtas debate and amend the
laws affecting all Irish people, they
debate and vote for the funding of the
State and for projects that matter to
Irish citizens. TDs and Senators
receive and deal with many hundreds
of witnesses before
Committees,witnesses who are
directly expressing and reflecting the
views of a wider Irish society. The
Houses of the Oireachtas interact with
and inform the Irish people through an
ever-increasing use of web and social
media. Members continue to be an
important point of contact for many
people across every constituency and
Seanad electorate in Ireland and the
Houses comprise the Members voted
in by their respective voting public and
who serve at the will of that voting
public.
In 2019 the Dáil will be celebrating,
commemorating and educating
people about the work and the value
of 100 years of successful
parliamentary democracy. We have
enjoyed the benefits of a stable
parliamentary democracy in Ireland
since the formation of an independent
Irish parliament in 1919 – something
that is often taken for granted. 2018
has seen a celebration of women
being granted the right to vote and the
Houses of the Oireachtas have played
a major part in those celebrations.
Educating the next generation of
voters has been a policy of the
Houses of the Oireachtas Commission
for a number of years. With the recent
introduction of the new Politics and
Society subject at Leaving Certificate
level, and with the increased level of
interest that the 2019 Centenary will
bring we believe there is an
opportunity to educate the next
generation of voters on the role of
parliament. We offer school groups
the chance to come into Leinster
House and feel what it is like to debate
in one of our committee rooms and
see at first hand what the
parliamentary experience is like. Our
website www.oireachtas.ie has a
wealth of resources that will enable
you to explore the history and
workings of the Dáil and Seanad.
www.oireachtas.ie
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