Protocol Committee Minutes – September

The Protocol Committee is a standing committee of Dublin City Council. It handles ceremonial and procedural matters, and its minutes go to the full Council as a report. Under the Council's Standing Orders, the minutes of Area, SPC (Strategic Policy Committee) and Protocol Committee meetings are listed on the Council agenda. Councillors can then note them or raise points from them. Reports like No. 230/2026 are routine in this way. For example, the minutes of the committee's 19 February 2026 meeting were also presented under Standing Orders.

The committee's work covers several areas. It oversees the Lord Mayor's receptions, the Deputy Lord Mayor's engagements, and international relations and civic visits. It also decides on City Hall lighting requests. It reviews the Council's Standing Orders as well. It has approved guidelines for remote meetings, and it can recommend to Council the removal of a councillor as chair of a Strategic Policy Committee in certain circumstances. Guidelines also require that events the Deputy Lord Mayor attends are reported monthly to the Protocol Committee.

In recent developments, Ray McAdam was elected the 358th Lord Mayor of Dublin. The committee's 2026 membership lists Deirdre Heney as Chairperson and Lord Mayor Ray McAdam as a member. Earlier in 2026, the committee was awaiting recommendations from the Standing Orders Working Group. The committee matters because it shapes how the Council conducts its meetings, represents the city, and handles civic recognition. Its minutes are public on the Council's meetings website.