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Houses of the Oireachtas: debates, bills, votes and members

The Houses of the Oireachtas are Ireland's national parliament: Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann. Its website publishes the official reports of debates, votes, bills and Acts, parliamentary questions, committee records and member information for TDs and senators, and an open data API returns the same records as JSON. Fact-checkers use it to verify what a TD said or voted, the stage a bill has reached and who sits in each house.

Release calendar

What it publishes

• Official reports (debates) of the Dáil, the Seanad and committees.
• Division (vote) records showing how each member voted.
• Bills and Acts, with each stage, amendments and explanatory memoranda.
• Parliamentary questions and answers.
• Member pages for TDs and senators by house, constituency and party.
• Committee reports, and research from the Library and Research Service.

Key datasets

• TDs in the current Dáil
  List of TDs by constituency and party with links to their record.
  Updated: Updated as membership changes
• Bills and Acts
  Search bills by status, sponsor and year with full text and stage history.
  Updated: Continuous
• Committees
  Committee membership, meetings, evidence and reports.
  Updated: Continuous
• Elections
  Information on Dáil and Seanad elections and their results as recorded by the Oireachtas.
  Updated: After each election

APIs and downloads

• Oireachtas Open Data API
  Free JSON API for members, debates, divisions, questions, bills and houses; no key required when checked.
• Oireachtas open data page
  Explains the data available and the licence for re-use.

When it publishes

Dáil debate records are published on the website during and shortly after each sitting, with the official version following. The houses sit on set days during sitting weeks, outside the recesses listed on the website.

How to use it to check a claim

1. Find a quotation in the official report for that date and cite the debate page, not a clip.
2. For votes, use the division record, which lists Tá and Níl votes by name.
3. For a bill, check the current stage and whether it has been signed into law, then use the Irish Statute Book for the enacted text.
4. For membership counts, check which Dáil is meant; the 34th Dáil has 174 seats, the 33rd had 160.

Common mistakes

• Bills change at committee and report stage; quote the version that matches the date of the claim.
• Seanad members are elected by panels and university graduates or nominated by the Taoiseach, not elected at the general election.
• The member count returned by the API can include people who left and were replaced during a Dáil term.

How many TDs are there?

The 34th Dáil, elected in 2024, has 174 seats, according to the Oireachtas TDs page. The Seanad has 60 members.

How do I see how a TD voted?

Open the debate for the day and go to the division, or search votes on the TD's member page. The API's divisions endpoint returns the same records.

Is there a free API?

Yes. api.oireachtas.ie returns members, debates, votes, questions and legislation as JSON without registration.

Questions answered using this source

• How many TDs are in the Dáil?

Links checked 14 October 2026. This page describes what the source publishes and gives no verdict on any claim.