Government of the 18th Dáil

The 18th Dáil first met on 21 April 1965. In the debate on the nomination of Taoiseach, Fianna Fáil leader and outgoing Taoiseach Seán Lemass, Fine Gael leader James Dillon, and Labour Party leader Brendan Corish were each proposed.[1] The nomination of Lemass was carried with 72 votes in favour and 67 votes against. Lemass was re-appointed as Taoiseach by President Éamon de Valera.[2]

21 April 1965 Nomination of Seán Lemass (FF) as Taoiseach[3] Motion proposed by Seán MacEntee and seconded by Johnny Geoghegan Absolute majority: 73/144
Vote	Parties	Votes
Y Yes	Fianna Fáil (72)	72 / 144
No	Fine Gael (47), Labour Party (20)	67 / 144
Absent or Not voting	Ceann Comhairle (1), Independents (2), Labour Party (1), Clann na Poblachta (1)	5 / 144

After his appointment as Taoiseach by the president, Seán Lemass proposed the members of the government and they were approved by the Dáil.[4] They were appointed by the president on the same day.[5]

Change to department

On 21 April 1965, the Government appointed the Parliamentary Secretaries on the nomination of the Taoiseach.[5]

On 8 July 1966, Labour leader Brendan Corish and Fine Gael leader Liam Cosgrave placed separate motions of no confidence in the government. They were debated as part of the debate on the summer adjournment.[11] The motions were defeated, on votes of 50 to 66[12] and 54 to 66[13] respectively.

Seán Lemass resigned as Fianna Fáil leader and Jack Lynch won the leadership election to succeed him on 9 November 1966. On the following day, Lemass resigned as Taoiseach.[14]

On 10 November 1966, in the debate on the nomination of Taoiseach, Fianna Fáil leader Jack Lynch, Fine Gael leader Liam Cosgrave, and Labour Party leader Brendan Corish were each proposed.[15] The nomination of Lynch was carried with 71 votes in favour and 64 votes against. Lynch was appointed as Taoiseach by President Éamon de Valera.[16]

10 November 1966 Nomination of Jack Lynch (FF) as Taoiseach[17] Motion proposed by Seán Lemass and seconded by Frank Aiken Absolute majority: 73/144
Vote	Parties	Votes
Y Yes	Fianna Fáil (71)	71 / 144
No	Fine Gael (44), Labour Party (20)	64 / 144
Absent or Not voting	Ceann Comhairle (1), Independents (2), Fine Gael (2), Labour Party (1), Clann na Poblachta (1)	7 / 144
Vacancies	2[18][19]	2 / 144

After his appointment as Taoiseach by the president, Seán Lemass proposed the members of the government and they were approved by the Dáil on 16 November 1966.[20] They were appointed by the president on the same day.[21]

On 16 November 1966, the Government appointed the Parliamentary Secretaries on the nomination of the Taoiseach.[21]

The government proposed the Third Amendment of the Constitution Bill 1968, which would have allowed for divergence in the ratio of population to representation across Dáil constituencies, and the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 1968, which would have altered the electoral system from proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (PR-STV) to first past the post (FPTP). They were put to referendums on 16 October 1968, and both were defeated by a margin of 39.2% to 60.8%. It was the second time a Fianna Fáil government had proposed to introduce FPTP, with a previous referendum defeated in 1959.

On 5 November 1968, Taoiseach Jack Lynch proposed a motion of confidence in the government, which was debated over three days.[26] On 7 November, it was approved on a vote of 68 to 60.[27]