The Dáil has agreed to take a Christmas holiday of just under six weeks from this evening until Wednesday 25 January.
The only objection to the holiday came from the Green Party leader, Trevor Sargent. Mr Sargent's proposal to bring the Dáil back two weeks earlier was defeated.
In a separate development last night, the Dáil passed the Coroners Bill, which had been put forward by the Labour Party but which secured all-party support.
The Bill aims to make coroners' inquests more effective by giving them wider powers to summon and question witnesses under oath.
