Senator Lorraine Higgins has called for an Oireachtas dress code to be introduced following General Election 2016, adding that it is unacceptable that members of Dail and Seanad Eireann would enter the chambers of our national parliament dressed in unsuitable attire.’
‘’In 2011, the Oireachtas Committee on Procedures and Privileges drafted a proposal requesting TDs and Senators wear ‘appropriate business attire’ in their function as legislators.
“This has clearly not been heeded and a small cohort of Deputies continue to dress in an unprofessional manner, unbefitting of our national parliament. I am calling today on the Taoiseach and Ceann Comhairle to meet prior to the formation of the next Dáil with a view to agreeing a set of rules governing the standards of dress acceptable so that incumbent members of the Oireachtas know what to expect,” she said.
Senator Higgins concluded by saying ‘’I have always taken my position as a member of Seanad Eireann very seriously and likewise have treated the office I am honoured to hold with the dignity and respect it deserves.
“The same is true for the majority of Oireachtas members however some feel the need to stand out in the fashion of a mid-life sartorial crisis and this, in my opinion, is unbecoming of national parliamentarians and is a blatant show of disrespect to the public’’.
