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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	30th government of Ireland (2016–2017) 31st government of Ireland (2017–2020)
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
1st 10 March 2016 – 21 July 2016 2nd 27 September 2016 – 14 July 2017 3rd 20 September 2017 – 12 July 2018 4th 18 September 2018 – 11 July 2019 5th 17 September 2019 – 14 January 2020

The 32nd Dáil was elected at the 2016 general election on 26 February and first met at 10.30 a.m. on 10 March 2016. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It sat with the 25th Seanad as the two Houses of the Oireachtas.

The 32nd Dáil was dissolved by President Michael D. Higgins on 14 January 2020, at the request of the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. The 32nd Dáil lasted 1,406 days.

Composition of the 32nd Dáil

Party		Feb. 2016	Jan. 2020	Change
●	Fine Gael	50	47	3
C	Fianna Fáil	44	45	1
	Sinn Féin	23	22	1
	Labour	7	7
	Solidarity–PBP	6	6
	Independents 4 Change	4	1	3
	Social Democrats	3	2	1
	Green	2	3	1
	Aontú	—	1	1
	Independent	19	22	3
	Ceann Comhairle	—	1	1
	Vacant	—	1	1
Total		158

Government party denoted with bullet (●)
Party giving confidence and supply denoted by C.

Notes

1. Known as Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit until March 2017.
2. Includes 7 TDs in the Rural Technical Group, 3 of 7 TDs in the Independents for Change Technical Group and 6 members of the Independent Alliance, as well as Seamus Healy, Denis Naughten and Katherine Zappone.

Ceann Comhairle

• Ceann Comhairle: Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Fianna Fáil)
• Leas-Cheann Comhairle: Pat "the Cope" Gallagher (Fianna Fáil)

The first act of the 32nd Dáil was the election of the Ceann Comhairle. 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 and Bernard Durkan were nominated for the position of Leas-Cheann Comhairle. No candidate was elected by resolution. 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.

Political leadership

Government

• Taoiseach
  • Enda Kenny (6 May 2016 – 14 June 2017)
  • Leo Varadkar (14 June 2017 – 14 January 2020)
• Tánaiste
  • Frances Fitzgerald (6 May 2016 – 28 November 2017)
  • Simon Coveney (30 November 2017 – 14 January 2020)

Opposition

• Leader of the Opposition and Leader of Fianna Fáil: Micheál Martin
  • Fianna Fáil Chief whip: Michael Moynihan
• Leader of Sinn Féin: Gerry Adams (2016–2018), Mary Lou McDonald (2018–2020)
  • Sinn Féin Chief Whip: Aengus Ó Snodaigh
• Leader of the Labour Party: Brendan Howlin
• Leader of the Green Party: Eamon Ryan
• Leader of the Social Democrats: Catherine Murphy & Róisín Shortall

Oireachtas Committees

List of TDs

 +: Elected for the first time at the 2016 general election.
 ‡: Previously served as member of the Dáil non-consecutively to the current consecutive terms of office.
 #: Member of the 24th Seanad at time of election.
 §: Returned automatically without standing for election as outgoing Ceann Comhairle, in accordance with Article 16.6 of the Constitution of Ireland.

This is a list of TDs elected to Dáil Éireann in the 2016 general election. The Changes table below records changes in membership and party affiliation.

1. ^ Campaigned under the banner of the Independent Alliance, but appeared as a normal Independent on the ballot paper.

Technical groups

In the wake of the 2016 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 a technical 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).

Independents 4 Change Group

Social Democrats–Green Party Group

Rural Independents Group

Firsts

For the first time, two siblings were elected to Dáil Éireann from the same constituency: Michael and Danny Healy-Rae for Kerry.

Having become the first openly lesbian member of the Oireachtas and the first member in a recognised same-sex relationship with her Seanad nomination in 2011, Katherine Zappone also became the first openly lesbian Teachta Dála (TD) after being elected to the Dáil in 2016, and later the first openly lesbian member of government.

Independents 4 Change, the Social Democrats and Aontú had their first TDs.

On 14 June 2017 Leo Varadkar became the first openly gay Taoiseach.

Malcolm Byrne became the first openly gay man to win a by-election, and the first openly gay Fianna Fáil TD.

Changes

References

1. "Election 2016: President Higgins dissolves 31st Dáil". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
2. "Proclamation" (PDF). Iris Oifigiúil. 2020 (5). 17 January 2020.
3. "General Election to take place in February after Dáil dissolved". RTÉ News. 14 January 2020. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
4. ^ "Selection of Candidate and Election of Ceann Comhairle". Dáil Debates – Vol. 906 No. 1. 10 March 2016. Archived from the original on 14 September 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
5. "Election of Leas-Cheann Comhairle". Dáil Debates – Vol. 911 No. 3. 2 June 2016.
6. "Election of Leas-Cheann Comhairle (Resumed)". Dáil Debates – Vol. 916 No. 3. 6 June 2016.; "Election of Leas-Cheann Comhairle (Resumed)". Dáil Debates – Vol. 917 No. 1. 7 June 2016.
7. "Three new technical groups to form for new Dáil term". The Irish Times. 27 May 2016. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
8. "Dáil and Seanad Chamber Seating Plans". Oireachtas.ie. Archived from the original on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
9. McGuill, Dan (28 February 2016). "Michael and Danny will be the first siblings elected to the same constituency". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
10. "Ireland's first lesbian TD hopes to represent LGBT community in Dáil". 4 March 2016. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
11. Armstrong, Kelly (2 June 2017). "'Significant step for equality'- the world reacts to Leo Varadkar becoming the new Fine Gael leader - Independent.ie". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
12. Simpson, Claire (22 March 2018). "Sinn Féin TD Carol Nolan suspended from party over abortion vote". The Irish News. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
13. "'Isolated' Peter Fitzpatrick resigns from Fine Gael". RTÉ News. 2 October 2018. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
14. Hennessy, Michelle (15 November 2018). "Peadar Tóibín resigns from Sinn Féin and hints about setting up a new party". thejournal.ie. Archived from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
15. Lehane, Mícheál (28 January 2019). "Tóibín reveals name of new political party". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
16. ^ Loughlin, Elaine (27 June 2019). "New MEPs say goodbye to Dail politics; Billy Kelleher pays tribute to people of Cork North Central". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
17. ^ "Introduction of New Members". Dáil Debates – Vol. 990 No. 4. 3 December 2019.
18. "Resignation of Member". Dáil Debates – Vol. 990 No. 5. 4 December 2019.

External links

• Houses of the Oireachtas: Debates: 32nd Dáil

• Members of the 32nd Dáil
• 32nd Dáil
• 2016 in the Republic of Ireland
• Lists of Teachtaí Dála by term