Reporters on the Dáil team take turns to enter the Chamber and jot down a note of what is happening and who is speaking. This log is to assist them later when working on the portions of debates they have just heard, known as “takes”. When reporters return to their desks on leaving the Chamber, they begin the work of transcribing by listening on headsets to sound recordings, which are played back using a foot pedal or voice commands. Although most reporters type their takes, some now report them using voice recognition technology. Custom-built software allows reporters to incorporate information such as Members’ names, standard headings and vote results, and it automatically formats the debates to facilitate their publication online.
When reporters are satisfied their takes are complete, they are made available electronically to Members and the media. Reporters have two hours in which to complete their takes, after which they must move on to the next takes that are assigned. This is repeated by all reporters on the team until the Dáil adjourns each day.
While the Dáil team is working, the second team works on the Seanad and committees. Handwritten logs of Seanad debates are taken by reporters and electronic logs of committee meetings are taken by reporters or administrative staff. The transcripts of Seanad and committee debates are created in the exact same way as for the Dáil. On days when the Houses are not sitting, all reporters work on transcribing outstanding takes from the Seanad and committees.
When a take from the Dáil, the Seanad or a committee is ready to be checked, the editors make any changes required and after a debate has been checked, it is published online on a rolling basis. In this way, the proceedings of each sitting day are made available on the Oireachtas website by the Debates Office, where they can be seen in both XML and PDF formats. Finally, after undergoing revision, the Official Report for the Dáil and the Seanad are produced in bound volume format.
