Parliamentary reporters

The Debates Office is led by the Chief Reporter and Editor of Debates and a team of deputy editors, assistant editors, parliamentary reporters and administrative staff. 

Work of parliamentary reporters

Proceedings are logged by parliamentary reporters who sit at a desk on the floor of the Chamber, located in front of the Cathaoirleach, during debates. These proceedings are digitally recorded by a technician seated beside them. Using their logs together with the sound files, reporters produce the Official Report in ten-minute sections.

A Member may be contacted by a parliamentary reporter requesting a copy of a speech, either electronically or in hard copy, to assist with accuracy and the speedy production of the debate. It may be necessary to ensure a quote from a constituent's email has been accurately transcribed, for example, or that a townland in the Member’s constituency is spelled correctly.

The Official Report is a complete and impartial report of the contributions of all speakers. It is substantially but not strictly verbatim because it is accepted that the spoken word must be lightly edited for a readership rather than a listenership. Parliamentary reporters render the spoken word in a written format while preserving the character and meaning of Members' contributions. 

Publication of Official Report

Seanad debates are published incrementally throughout a sitting day, with any remaining proceedings published the following day.