Origins of the power The power was created in Article 41 of the Irish Free State Constitution (Saorstát Éireann) Act, 1922 enacted both by the Third Dáil meeting as a constituent assembly and by the Parliament of the United Kingdom and brought into force by a royal proclamation of 6 December 1922. Anglo-Irish Treaty The role of the Governor-General in legislative enactment was initially defined in the Anglo-Irish Treaty signed in 1921 between plenipotentiaries of the UDI Irish Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and which was ratified by three bodies; the United Kingdom parliament, the Second Dáil and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland in December 1921 – January 1922. The reason for the Royal Assent All legislation enacted by the Oireachtas of Saorstát Éireann required the Royal Assent to become law for three reasons. Article 12 stated that the Oireachtas consisted "of the King and two Houses, the Chamber of Deputies (... "Dáil Éireann") and the Senate (... "Seanad Éireann")". As a result the King through his representative, the Governor-General, was a full participant in law making. In the event of a dispute the signature of the Governor-General on the Act was evidence that it had been fully and validly enacted. This could prove important were in the future a dispute to arise over whether a particular Act had properly been enacted. An example would be where the Dáil was dissolved the same day as the Bill completed its passage. If it had not already received the Royal Assent prior to the dissolution the Bill would fall (ie, die). The existence of the Governor-General's signature would act as proof that the Bill had received its Royal Assent before the dissolution, even if only by one minute. All Acts of the Oireachtas in the Free State were translated into the two state languages, Irish and English. Whichever the Governor-General signed into law would receive primacy in the event of a clash in the texts. (Article 42) Granting, reserving or withholding Royal Assent As with the King and other governors-general in the dominions , the Governor-General of the Irish Free State had three options: The granting of the Royal Assent, meaning that a Bill became an Act; The reserve of the Royal Assent "for His Majesty's Pleasure" meaning that the Bill was put into abeyance pending approval of the Bill by the King-in-Council within one year of the Bill having been presented to the Governor-General. If approval was not given within one year the Bill was deemed vetoed; The withholding of the Royal Assent, which meant that the Bill was being vetoed. Between 1922 and 1928 the Governor-General acted as the agent of both the King and the British Government. As a result, he could act on the advice of either, or on his own initiative withholding or refusing Assent. Following the implementation of a decision of a Commonwealth Conference, the British Government's relationship with all dominion governors-general was terminated, leaving each governor-general to be the exclusive  representative of the King (who has received the new style King of Ireland. 150px|Governor-General Timothy Michael Healy (1922–28)He was instructed by the British Secretary of State for the Dominions to reserve or withhold consent for certain categories of Bills if attempts were made to enact them. No attempt was made. Unknown to the Executive Council (His Majesty's Government in the Irish Free State) the first Governor-General, Timothy Michael Healy, was given instructions to exercise the withholding and refusal powers by the United Kingdom Secretary of State for the Dominions, in a number of specific areas: Method of Royal Assent A Bill, having duly passed or having been deemed to pass, in the Dáil and the Seanad, would be presented to the Governor-General (in the Viceregal Lodge until 1932, in his rented residence from 1932 to 1936), by the President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State. Unlike in the United Kingdom, no parliamentary ceremony was invoked to confirm that the Royal Assent had been given. Its details would instead be published in Iris Oifigiúil (the Irish state gazette). Abolition of withhold and reserve powers 260px|Leinster HouseSeat of Oireachtas Éireann. In 1933 the Oireachtas abolished the Governor-General's right to reserve or withhold the Royal Assent. In late 1933, the Oireachtas passed the Constitution (Amendment No. 21) Act, 1933 to abolish the power of the Governor-General to reserve or withhold Royal Assent from Bills. Domhnall Ua Buachalla In 1933 the Counsellors of State, Queen Mary, Prince Edward, Prince of Wales and Prince Albert, Duke of York (acting for King George V who was ill), on the advice of the President of the Executive Council, Éamon de Valera, formally appointed an Anti-Treaty ex-Fianna Fáil TD, Domhnall Ua Buachalla (Donal Buckley) to become Governor-General of the Irish Free State. Though advised by de Valera's Executive Council not to carry out public engagements, Ua Buachalla continued to carry out his official state functions, including the granting of the Royal Assent. Abolition of the Royal Assent The procedure of Royal Assent was abolished by the Constitution (Amendment No. 27) Act 1936, which Act was itself the  last to receive the Royal Assent. The new Act amended the Constitution so that the Ceann Comhairle (speaker of Dáil Éireann) would sign bills into once passed by the House. Under the new 1937 Constitution of Ireland (Bunreacht na hÉireann''), which came into force almost exactly one year later, the role of signing bills into law was given to the President of Ireland. Category:Government  in the Irish Free
Origins of the power The power was created in Article 41 of the Irish Free State Constitution (Saorstát Éireann) Act, 1922 enacted both by the Third Dáil meeting as a constituent assembly and by the Parliament of the United Kingdom and brought into force by a royal proclamation of 6 December 1922. Anglo-Irish Treaty The role of the Governor-General in legislative enactment was initially defined in the Anglo-Irish Treaty signed in 1921 between plenipotentiaries of the UDI Irish Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and which was ratified by three bodies; the United Kingdom parliament, the Second Dáil and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland in December 1921 – January 1922. The reason for the Royal Assent All legislation enacted by the Oireachtas of Saorstát Éireann required the Royal Assent to become law for three reasons. Article 12 stated that the Oireachtas consisted "of the King and two Houses, the Chamber of Deputies (... "Dáil Éireann") and the Senate (... "Seanad Éireann")". As a result the King through his representative, the Governor-General, was a full participant in law making. In the event of a dispute the signature of the Governor-General on the Act was evidence that it had been fully and validly enacted. This could prove important were in the future a dispute to arise over whether a particular Act had properly been enacted. An example would be where the Dáil was dissolved the same day as the Bill completed its passage. If it had not already received the Royal Assent prior to the dissolution the Bill would fall (ie, die). The existence of the Governor-General's signature would act as proof that the Bill had received its Royal Assent before the dissolution, even if only by one minute. All Acts of the Oireachtas in the Free State were translated into the two state languages, Irish and English. Whichever the Governor-General signed into law would receive primacy in the event of a clash in the texts. (Article 42) Granting, reserving or withholding Royal Assent As with the King and other Governors-General in the other Dominions , the Governor-General of the Irish Free State had three options: The granting of the Royal Assent, meaning that a Bill became an Act; The reserve of the Royal Assent "for His Majesty's Pleasure" meaning that the Bill was put into abeyance pending approval of the Bill by the King-in-Council within one year of the Bill having been presented to the Governor-General. If approval was not given within one year the Bill was deemed vetoed; The withholding of the Royal Assent, which meant that the Bill was being vetoed. Between 1922 and 1928 the Governor-General acted as the agent of both the King and the British Government. As a result, he could act on the advice of either, or on his own initiative withholding or refusing Assent. Following the implementation of a decision of a Commonwealth Conference, the British Government's relationship with all dominion Governors-General was terminated, leaving each Governor-General to be the exclusive viceregal representative of the King (who had received the new style King of Ireland. 150px|Governor-General Timothy Michael Healy (1922–28)He was instructed by the British Secretary of State for the Dominions to reserve or withhold consent for certain categories of Bills if attempts were made to enact them. No attempt was made. Unknown to the Executive Council (His Majesty's Government in the Irish Free State) the first Governor-General, Timothy Michael Healy, was given instructions to exercise the withholding and refusal powers by the United Kingdom Secretary of State for the Dominions, in a number of specific areas: Method of Royal Assent A Bill, having duly passed or having been deemed to pass, in the Dáil and the Seanad, would be presented to the Governor-General (in the Viceregal Lodge until 1932, in his rented residence from 1932 to 1936), by the President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State. Unlike in the United Kingdom, no parliamentary ceremony was invoked to confirm that the Royal Assent had been given. Its details would instead be published in Iris Oifigiúil (the Irish state gazette). Abolition of withhold and reserve powers 260px|Leinster HouseSeat of Oireachtas Éireann. In 1933 the Oireachtas abolished the Governor-General's right to reserve or withhold the Royal Assent. In late 1933, the Oireachtas passed the Constitution (Amendment No. 21) Act, 1933 to abolish the power of the Governor-General to reserve or withhold Royal Assent from Bills. Domhnall Ua Buachalla In 1933 the Counsellors of State, Queen Mary, Prince Edward, Prince of Wales and Prince Albert, Duke of York (acting for King George V who was ill), on the advice of the President of the Executive Council, Éamon de Valera, formally appointed an Anti-Treaty ex-Fianna Fáil TD, Domhnall Ua Buachalla (Donal Buckley) to become Governor-General of the Irish Free State. Though advised by de Valera's Executive Council not to carry out public engagements, Ua Buachalla continued to carry out his official state functions, including the granting of the Royal Assent. Abolition of the Royal Assent The procedure of Royal Assent was abolished by the Constitution (Amendment No. 27) Act 1936, which Act was itself the very last to receive the Royal Assent. The new Act amended the Constitution so that the Ceann Comhairle (speaker of Dáil Éireann) would sign bills into once passed by the House. Under the new 1937 Constitution of Ireland (Bunreacht na hÉireann''), which came into force almost exactly one year later, the role of signing bills into law was given to the President of Ireland. Category:Government in the Irish Free State Category:History of the British Empire Category:History of the Commonwealth of Nations Category:History of the Republic of Ireland Category:Ireland and the Commonwealth of Nations Category:Monarchy in the Irish Free
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