The Dáil has adjourned for its summer break until September 26th with the Government voting down an attempt by the Opposition parties to bring it back in early September.
No committees will sit during the summer because they have not yet been set up by the Taoiseach.
The five Green Party TDs, who had been vociferous opponents of the long summer break in the past, voted with their Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrat colleagues to defeat the Opposition attempt to shorten the break.
The Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, proposed that the Dáil should resume on September 11th on the basis that committees would not be established before the 12-week recess and would not be in a position to do normal parliamentary work until the autumn.
"I regret it has not been possible for committees of the House to perform their functions in July and the early weeks of September," he said.
The Tánaiste, Brian Cowen, defended the decision to adjourn before the committees had been established.
He said that given the timing of the elections in 1997 and 2002, it had not been possible to constitute committees before the Dáil rose for the summer recess on those occasions either.
Labour leader Pat Rabbitte referred to the arguments against the long summer break made last year by the then Green Party leader, Trevor Sargent, saying that he fully supported everything that had been said at the time.
"I regret the House will rise without appointing committees. It is further evidence of the disrespect shown to the House and the rights of the Opposition.
"Yesterday, for example, the Taoiseach absented himself on one of the rare opportunities to be accountable in the House. The conference of trade unions lasted for four days, during which the Taoiseach would have been accommodated at any time, but he chose to attend at a time that coincided with leaders' questions.
"He would not attend to take parliamentary questions or the order of business but he managed to get back to pose for photographs with candidates for the Seanad.
"I hope when we begin business in earnest in the autumn that we will see a bit more respect for this House and the Opposition," said Mr Rabbitte.
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin of Sinn Féin also opposed the length of the recess, saying the Dáil should return earlier in order to examine exactly what the Government proposed to do in its programme for the years ahead.
