Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)

The Minister of State is demeaning the House by introducing gambling. I know it is the habit of this Government to play loose and fast with the public finances but I will not resort to such economics. The people of this country have had enough of that. We can debate the figures in the coming weeks.

Young people are less and less likely to vote for Fianna Fáil. It may hold the dominant position in Irish politics but it is becoming less dominant and the party knows that. Every opportunity it can get, therefore, to distort the electorate and give fewer people the opportunity to vote is being taken. It is a sleight of hand that may not be illegal but ethically and morally it is dubious. A date should be picked that is most opportune for the maximum number of citizens to participate in an election.

The philosophy behind the Bill is unarguable but I would go further. It is now time to change the Constitution to allow for fixed term parliaments. This will be the second Dáil that has run for a full five years. We should know on leaving this Dáil when the election for the 31st Dáil will take place so that all the nonsense the Taoiseach has put us through for the last six months will be history. Any new Government should make that a priority in the 30th Dáil.

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