Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It was on this date in 1919 that the First Dáil met for only the third time. It was an historic day, with the confirmation of a new Ceann Comhairle and the election of a new President of the Dáil, then Éamon de Valera. It also led to the creation of a new Government, and Ireland's second Ministry was formed, with the likes of Michael Collins, Arthur Griffith, W.T. Cosgrave, Constance Markievicz, Cathal Brugha, Count Plunkett and Eoin MacNeill. It should bring home for us the value of our democracy that the meetings of the First Dáil were limited because so many were imprisoned, and there was a genuine fear of arrest in a climate of escalating confrontation. These men and women served our country with courage and distinction, and they got on with the work of making Ireland free, independent and a better place to live.

The position of Ceann Comhairle was created at that Dáil's first meeting in the Mansion House on 21 January 1919. Those who have held the office of Ceann Comhairle have presided over the 34 Dáileanna that have served our people since. This should remind us all of the importance of our history, of parliamentary democracy and the role that this House has played over many decades, especially at moments of crisis and national and global challenge. It should remind us too of the need to respect the office of Ceann Comhairle in presiding over this Chamber over that long history and in the circumstances that face us today.

As a country, we are fortunate to have a political tradition that has largely left us well placed to form stable Governments which serve their terms with a working majority. In more recent years, we have demonstrated Government stability with new arrangements such as confidence and supply and the rotation of the office of An Taoiseach. Just as the political arrangements of government have changed and evolved over time, so too have the Dáil's Standing Orders since they were first adopted in 1922. They are updated and amended almost always at the start of each term of the Dáil, and it is only right and proper that we reflect on amendments that are needed to ensure all Members rights are respected in the changing shape and composition of each Dáil.

At the time of the last general election, it is fair to say that Ireland bucked international trends by returning a result which, relatively quickly, allowed a majority of Members of our national Parliament to form a stable Government made up by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil with the support of Independent TDs.

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