Government of the 8th Dáil


The Government of the 8th Dáil or the 7th Executive Council was the Executive Council of the Irish Free State formed after the general election held on 24 January 1933. It was led by Fianna Fáil leader Éamon de Valera as President of the Executive Council, who had first taken office in the Irish Free State after the 1932 general election. De Valera had previously served as President of Dáil Éireann, or President of the Republic, from April 1919 to January 1922 during the revolutionary period of the Irish Republic.
The 7th Executive Council lasted for 1,443 days.

7th Executive Council of the Irish Free State

Nomination of the President of the Executive Council

The members of the 8th Dáil first met on 8 February. In the debate on the nomination of the President of the Executive Council, Fianna Fáil leader and outgoing President Éamon de Valera was proposed, and the motion was approved by 82 votes to 54. He was then appointed as President by Governor-General Domhnall Ua Buachalla.

Members of the Executive Council

The members of the Executive Council were proposed by the President and approved by the Dáil. They were then appointed by the Governor-General.

Changes 3 June 1936

Re-assignment of department on abolition of Seanad Éireann.
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Changes 11 November 1936

Appointment of Ministers.
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Attorney General

was appointed by the Governor-General as Attorney General on the nomination of the Executive Council.

Parliamentary Secretaries

The Parliamentary Secretaries were appointed by the Executive Council.

Amendments to the Constitution of the Irish Free State

The following amendments to the Constitution of the Irish Free State were proposed by the Executive Council and passed by the Oireachtas.
As well as the constitutional changes above affecting the status of the British monarch, after the abdication of Edward VIII on 11 December 1936, the Executive Council proposed and passed the Executive Authority Act 1936 which reduced the role of the King to external functions only. It was followed the following year by the Executive Powers Act 1937, which completed the process of removing the position of Governor-General from Irish law.

Proposal of the Constitution of Ireland

The Executive Council proposed a new Constitution of Ireland which passed final stages in the Dáil on 14 June 1937. In a plebiscite held on 1 July 1937, the same date as a general election, the Constitution was approved with the support of 56.5% of votes cast. It came into force on 29 December 1937.