Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)

I also commend and congratulate the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, on this extensive legislation. Most of the focus has been on the particular section dealing with gender parity. I imagine this legislation will pass without challenge when it is put to the vote. It reminds me of the evening when the civil partnership legislation was passed in the previous Dáil. There was a feeling right across the House then that a good day's work had been done. A good day's work has also been done today on reforming the political system with regard to female participation. It is a matter for which all Members can claim a degree of ownership. I commend the Minister and his officials on taking this legislation through the various Stages and ensuring it will be law for the next general election.

Members of the 5050 Group, who would exceed Deputy Donnelly's ambitions with regards to female representation, are present in the Visitors Gallery. I commend and congratulate them on their own campaign. Obviously, when this Bill is passed, they will be back to us asking when we will get to 50:50 male-female ratio in political participation. It would be regrettable not to recognise the role played by the 5050 Group in addressing this issue.

We have begun the process of instilling a new type of dynamic and process in politics that I hope we will see at the next general election. I take Deputy Donnelly's point on board that we should not be scraping over the 30% line just to be compliant with the legislation but instead getting political representation to resemble society's gender balance.

See this speech in context