Absenteeism from Dáil votes hits 40% as election looms

Attendance has worsened each year since 2011 — and big names like Michael Lowry, Lucinda Creighton, and Eamon Gilmore are among the worst offenders, says Seán McCárthaigh

YOU would know there’s a general election in the air, because TDs’ attendance for votes in the Dáil has dropped significantly in recent months.

On average, 43% of TDs have failed to show up for each division in the Dáil chamber, since they returned to Leinster House after the summer holidays, last September.