This is a record of events occurring in the chamber during the 31st Dáil. Members met for the first time on 9 March 2011 and for the final time on 3 February 2016. The Government was headed by Enda Kenny, leader of Fine Gael.

The 31st Dáil convened at midday on Ash Wednesday of March 2011 (alluded to by Joe Higgins when he expressed amazement that the previous government had not returned to Leinster House "heavily stained with penitential ash") and proceedings got under way with Clerk of the Dáil Kieran Coughlan reading aloud the name of every TD.

Then Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny put Seán Barrett forward for the position of Ceann Comhairle. Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore supported this proposal. Barrett was duly elected.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams made his maiden Dáil speech at around 12:15, shortly before the role of Ceann Comhairle was decided.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny was then put forward for the position of Taoiseach by newly elected Simon Harris, the youngest member of his parliamentary party, and seconded by newly elected Ciara Conway the youngest member of Labour. At 13:56, Enda Kenny was elected as Taoiseach by 117 votes to 27. At 14:09, Kenny announced his departure to Áras an Uachtaráin to inform President of Ireland Mary McAleese that he had been selected as Taoiseach. He proposed a two-and-a-half-hour suspension of Dáil business for this purpose.

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