Editing Ceann Comhairle (section)

==Overview==
The Ceann Comhairle is expected to observe strict impartiality. Despite this, a government usually tries to select a member of its own political party for the position, if it has enough deputies to allow that choice. In order to protect the neutrality of the chair, the [[Constitution of Ireland]] provides that an incumbent Ceann Comhairle does not seek re-election as a [[Teachta Dála]] (Deputy to the Dáil), but rather is deemed automatically to have been re-elected by their constituency at that general election, unless they are retiring.{{efn|Article 16.6 of the constitution requires that "provision shall be made by law" such that the Ceann Comhairle "be deemed without any actual election to be elected a member of Dáil Éireann".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/cons/en/html#article16_6 |title=CONSTITUTION OF IRELAND |work=[[Irish Statute Book]] |pages=Article 16.6 |access-date=4 December 2015 |archive-date=3 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503055502/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/cons/en/html#article16_6 |url-status=live }}</ref> This is provided for in section 36 of the Electoral Act 1992.{{sfn|O'Connor|O'Halloran|2008|pages=124–127}}{{cite Irish legislation |year=1992|number=23|section=36|name=Electoral Act 1992|stitle=Re-election of outgoing Chairman of Dáil |access-date=4 December 2015 |archive-date=8 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208044548/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1992/act/23/section/36/enacted/en/html |url-status=live }}}} As a consequence, the constituency that an incumbent Ceann Comhairle represents elects one fewer TD in a general election than its usual entitlement, but still has the same number of TDs.{{sfn|O'Connor|O'Halloran|2008|pages=124–127}} Under standing orders, no member of the government or Minister of State may act as Ceann Comhairle or Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

The Ceann Comhairle does not take part in debates, nor do they vote except in the event of a tie. In this event, they generally vote in accordance with the [[Speaker Denison's rule|parliamentary conventions relating to the Speaker of the British House of Commons]], which tend to amount to voting against motions. The Ceann Comhairle formally opens each day's sitting by reading the official prayer. The Ceann Comhairle is the sole judge of order in the house and has a number of special functions. Specifically, the Ceann Comhairle:

*Calls on members to speak. All speeches must be addressed to the Ceann Comhairle.
*Puts such questions to the house, and supervises and declares the results of [[Division of the assembly|divisions]].
*Has authority to suppress disorder. To ensure obedience to his/her rulings the Ceann Comhairle may order members to withdraw from the Dáil or suspend an individual from the House for a period. In the case of great disorder, the Ceann Comhairle can suspend or adjourn the house.
*Rings a bell when deputies are out of order. The bell is a half-sized reproduction of the ancient bell of Lough Lene Castle found at Castle Island, [[Lough Lene]], [[Castlepollard]], [[County Westmeath]] in 1881 and now in the [[National Museum of Ireland|National Museum]]. The reproduction was presented in 1931 by the widow of [[Bryan Cooper (politician)|Bryan Cooper]], a former TD.

The Ceann Comhairle is an {{lang|la|[[ex officio]]}} member of the [[Presidential Commission (Ireland)|Presidential Commission]], the [[Council of State (Ireland)|Council of State]], and the [[Commission for Public Service Appointments]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cpsa.ie/en/About-Us/Members-of-the-Commission |title=Members of the Commission |publisher=Commission for Public Service Appointments |access-date=27 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128161613/http://www.cpsa.ie/en/About-Us/Members-of-the-Commission/ |archive-date=28 January 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Since the [[Constitution of Ireland|1937 Constitution]], the Ceann Comhairle has been an {{lang|la|ex officio}} member of the Council of State, beginning with [[Frank Fahy (politician)|Frank Fahy]]. The earlier presiding officers never served on the Council of State: i.e. those of the [[Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic)|Revolutionary Dáil]] (1919–1922: [[Cathal Brugha]], [[George Noble Plunkett]], [[Eoin MacNeill]], and [[Michael Hayes (politician)|Michael Hayes]]) and the [[Free State Dáil]] (1922–1936: Hayes again, before Fahy).