Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)

I commend the Minister, Deputy Hogan, on introducing this progressive and reforming Bill. During my contribution, I will mention the gender parity measures contained in the legislation.

Overwhelmingly, political decisions that affect women are made by men, nowhere more so than in this Parliament. For this reason, that the Government is set to introduce legislation to bring a gender balance to general elections is a significant development. Such legislation is badly needed. The statistics on female Irish parliamentarians are a cause for concern. For example, there are eight men for every woman in the Dáil. In total, there are 25 female Deputies out of a possible 166. Regrettably and embarrassingly, this is one of the lowest percentages in any European parliament. Outside of the European Union, the average for women's participation in the parliaments of sub-Saharan countries is 19%, which is ahead of Ireland. We have made limited progress on our UN commitment to achieve a female participation rate of 30%. At the rate we are going it will take at least 370 years for the proportion of women in the Dáil to reach 50%. The lack of female politicians at the level of policy and law making is a reflection of the difficulties women in Ireland face in accessing employment in general. The hours that our Parliament observes are unsocial and not conducive to family life, which disadvantages women with young children. I am sure this is an issue to which all working women can relate.

I recently attended a debate organised in Cork city by the 50:50 group. Despite being held on a Monday night during what could be described as unsociable hours, the hall was packed. This demonstrates that females participate in political campaigns when they are relevant to them. The participation of women in decision making and policy is crucial in order to secure and highlight their position in society generally. Inclusion of women's perspectives in Government policies and programmes would allow issues such as child care, equality in the workplace, social welfare, pension reform, retirement security, home care, long-term care, housing and domestic violence to be properly addressed.

The influence of women on Irish politics far outweighs their small numbers. Dr. Mary Robinson revolutionised the role of the President and raised not only the profile of mná na hÉireann, but also Ireland's reputation internationally. She was subsequently appointed to a position at the UN thanks to her achievements during her short time as President. A more recent President, Mrs. Mary McAleese, provided a model for what women can achieve as politicians. A former Labour Party Deputy from my constituency of Cork South-Central, Eileen Desmond, will always be remembered as one of the outstanding women Members produced by our Parliament. She was the first women since Countess Markievicz to be appointed to a senior Cabinet position and thousands of unemployed people in the Cork region and elsewhere remember her for her compassion even though she only served for a brief period.

One third of the Oireachtas Members of my party are female. While that is not something I can be boastful about given that it is short of the targets set down in this Bill, it is a beginning. The achievement of gender balance is a policy which the Labour Party has advocated for over the years. A proposal to increase female participation in politics was set out in our 2007 election manifesto and repeated in our 2011 manifesto before finding its way into the programme for Government and this legislation. In 2008 I introduced a Private Members' Bill which contained similar provisions to what we are now debating. My Bill sought to increase female participation through a candidate selection process which ensured that a specific number of female candidates were included on the ballot sheet. Commentators at the time argued this could not be achieved and some even went so far as to assert it should not be attempted.

I am glad the Minister has achieved the goals that a modern democracy demands. The changes proposed in the Bill include cuts to State funding for political parties that do not ensure a minimum of 30% of their candidates at the next general election are female. This ratio will increase to 40% after seven years. My only regret is that the provision applies solely to general elections. The Minister has taken account of the suggestions made in this and the other House to extend the provision to local elections but he has indicated that a number of difficulties arise in this regard because funding for political parties is based on the outcome of general elections. I am sure he will give further consideration to this issue on Committee Stage. Most Members have come through the local government system. If these reforms are not put in place at local government level we will not see a sufficient increase in the number of women elected to local authorities. If this legislation is to be successful, it will have to facilitate the transition of women from local government to the Oireachtas.

The Government is committed to creating a more transparent and equal political system. This Bill reflects the changes we have advocated over the years. It deals comprehensively with the funding of political parties and it begins a journey which will bring Ireland in line with our European neighbours by moving us from the bottom of the class in terms of female participation in parliamentary politics. It will also make us compliant with the resolution of the European Parliament that member states should increase gender balance among electoral candidates. However, the ultimate aim of the Bill is not to establish gender quotas but to ensure sufficient female candidates are on the ballot. Gender parity is not a gender issue; it is a societal issue. This Bill corrects the gender imbalance that has existed in Irish politics since the foundation of the State.

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