MEMBERS OF THE public will be allowed to tour Leinster House without having to book in advance from tomorrow for the first time, the Oireachtas has confirmed.

The Oireachtas Joint Administration Committee said today that from tomorrow members of the public and visitors to Ireland will be able to avail of walk-up tours of Leinster House.

The tours will be available every Monday and every Friday that both houses are not sitting between 11.30am and 3.30pm. Currently the Dáil and the Seanad sit on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and on the first Friday of every month.

“I believe that it is vitally important for our democracy that the Irish public know and understand the role and functions of their Parliament,” committee chairman Tom Hayes said today.

“Ireland has a rich parliamentary heritage that spans over ninety years and people taking this tour will experience some of that history and tradition as they walk through the iconic Leinster House building.”

Up until now a tour of Leinster House could only be arranged if the visit was sponsored by a TD or Senator or for visitors from abroad if they had the sponsorship of their country’s embassy.

The tour, which is free of charge, includes visits to the galleries of the Dáil and Seanad chambers but not the chambers themselves.

It will also include a tour of the Oireachtas Committee Meetings Rooms in the millennium wing of the complex. The tour lasts around 50 minutes and for more information, click here.

Earlier this year, Dublin North Central TD Aodhán Ó Riordáin called for the chambers of both houses of the Oireachtas to be opened as it would “bring people closer to the democratic process”.

Members of the public were able to enter the chambers on two Oireachtas Family Days held in June 2008 and 2009 but such tours have not been held since.