Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

I fought the abolition of the dual mandate but it has happened. The policing committees have Oireachtas Members and councillors and it works quite well. I believe the move to get Deputies and Senators out of every body was a Civil Service initiative. I do not know the reason and I do not see the sense in it except the officials did not want Oireachtas Members on these bodies because they thought we would bring accountability and clout to it.

My proposal concerns Seanad reform, which is connected to local government. Perhaps the dual mandate should not have been abolished for Senators. Councillors serve in the German equivalent of the Upper House. If we want to revamp the Seanad perhaps we should allow Senators to be councillors and have a certain number of councillors in the Seanad. Why not make something of the link between the Seanad and local government? Most people would not have a problem with that.

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