The Constituency Orientation of Modern TDs

Abstract

For the past 20 years academics referring to the constituency caseload of Teachta Dálas (TDs) have in the main been forced to use data that were collected and analysed during a period which is now of limited comparability. This paper presents an analysis of twenty-first century TDs and their caseload. An analysis of how technological advancements and societal changes have altered the caseload of TDs will be explored. This is relevant because some had argued that the modernisation of society would decrease their level of constituency work. A profile of the constituents who contact TDs and the nature of their cases will be presented as will an outline of how they divide their time. Furthermore, this paper will also assess how TDs view their role as a broker and how influential their intervention can actually be in representations made on behalf of their constituents. This paper sets out to bridge the gap between research conducted during the 1970s and 1980s and the present day. Furthermore, it intends both to dispel and to enhance many long-held perceptions regarding the Irish TD.