How figures were compiled
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EACH vote in the Dail is recorded by the Houses of the Oireachtas for the public record.
The official transcript of proceedings in the Dail shows the debates, results of votes and parliamentary questions.
Dail TDs have so far voted 132 times since returning after the general election in 2007.
The first vote was on June 14, 2007, to appoint the Ceann Comhairle.
The last vote was on July 10, 2008, on a motion on the National Development Plan and the Economy.
The official transcript contains the 21,912 individual voting records of the Dail's first year, illustrating if a TD voted and how.
Similar to a school roll book, the Irish Independent catalogued each of these votes and added the figures to provide the results.
To ensure that no votes were missed, the official transcript logged on the internal computer system in Leinster House was used to compile the votes rather than the version on the internet, which is vastly more difficult to track.
In the interests of fairness, the Irish Independent did not include the votes of TDs who were absent for a long period of time due to ill health.
Fine Gael's Michael Noonan underwent major heart surgery last winter and Independent TD Tony Gregory battled cancer.
The late Seamus Brennan succumbed to his illness in the summer.
Aside from these three TDs, Ceann Comhairle John O'Donoghue was also excluded as he does not vote, unless there is a tie.
Therefore, the results of the study incorporate the voting records of 162 of the 166 TDs.
- and Patricia McDonagh
